It's Time To Ask And Tell

Another week is halfway gone, and another month is almost done, albeit sooner than most, even with an extra day. Like far too many weeks, months, and years before, another two school shooting incidents happened in the last week - and already much of the media has moved on from that tragedy to dissect the results of Arizona, Michigan, and what Olympia Snowe and Bob Kerrey's moves will mean.

You'll excuse us if we seem a bit dark today, after seeing the details of these two stories float across our digital desktops. Three dead, four wounded, and two more kids who'd already been ignored and abused by far too many will now get placed into our so-called justice system, where they'll likely get ignored and abused even further.

We're certain that many of you saw the stories on the shooter in rural Ohio, who is now responsible for the deaths of three of his classmates. You may not have caught the story of the nine-year -old, in Bremerton, Washington who accidentally shot a classmate of his last week.

While the victim of the shooting in Washington didn't die, the background stories of the two gun-toting kids seem eerily similar. Both sets of parents, from both shooters, had criminal records and histories of violence. Drugs, abuse, poverty and bullying at school were in the records of both young men, as well. Both gave plenty of signs that something wasn't right - yet everyone around them seems to have ignored the warning signs, like in the case of so many  child shooters before.

There are so many things that we cannot control in the stories we focus upon each day. The political decisions of actors in other nations, as well as those in the U.S., for example. Natural disasters fall into that category - as does the unexpected, like a terminal birth defect in the child of an old friend.

For all the things we cannot control in this world, it frustrates us so greatly that so many do not take the time to properly manage those things they can control.

To engage another person, at a level deep enough to see them as more than just another child, another student, another cog in the wheel of our busy daily lives just isn't that hard. When you ask someone "How's your day?" Listen for the response. MEAN it, don't just say it.

If you see bullying at a school, or in your neighborhood? Step up and step in. We don't mean take over - but say something, to those involved, and to the authorities in the area.

Lastly, when it comes to guns, let's all be honest about this. Just like cars, guns are machines that kill. Easily, quickly, shockingly so. You wouldn't put a child behind the wheel of a car and expect them to drive to the store - and you protect your access to that car, even when your children grow up. Unlike cars, guns - especially handguns - don't have any other purpose. Their function is to kill. Period.

If you have ANYONE in your family that has guns and doesn't treat them with the utmost respect and a hyper-vigilant sense of care, we heavily question your judgement allowing your child anywhere near those family members or friends.

We're not crazy, and we certainly don't believe that even most people following all these guidelines would stop every incident of random violence. Kids get bullied. People get bullied. People react. Unfortunate or not, that's the human condition.

By shutting our mouths, closing our eyes, not asking questions and not getting involved, we not only allow these kinds of violent actions - we assist them, every day - somewhere.

Enough is enough. Ask. Talk. Tell. Get involved.
DO something.

It's No Jest; The Contest Of Crazy Continues

If you've looked at the American political scene this year and thought it looked insane - but you were worried it might just be you - we're here today to reaffirm your sanity.

Some of the actions happening on either side of the political aisle lately have been more than a bit strange. Looking deeper, we can understand some moves - for example that of former U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Bob Kerrey - as highly strategic maneuvers. However, some of the recent actions - especially by the GOP Presidential contenders - make absolutely no sense to us.

Take the words and actions of the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum.

Heading into a five day stretch capped off by today's primaries in Arizona and Michigan, Mr. Santorum was already hammering on the culture wars, with attacks on topics like abortion and contraception.

But last Friday, Santorum seemed to kick his campaign for Mayor of political Crazytown into high gear. He called President Obama a "snob" for heavily supporting college education - including community colleges and trade schools, along with four year institutions.

Mr. Santorum - a Catholic - went further, however, when he insisted that the famous speech on the separation of church and state by America's first Catholic President, John F. Kennedy, made him "want to throw up." Santorum made it VERY clear - he believes in a partial theocracy. On Monday, he even topped his previous comments, claiming that the massive 2008 Bush recession was caused not by fraudulent dealing by banks, or even shady borrowers, but by gas prices that were too high - which he then blamed on Mr. Obama (who was only a Senator in 2008).

Not to be outdone, Mitt Romney seemed to be attempting his own crazy stunts, including scheduling a minor policy speech for 2500 attendees on Friday in the 65,000+ seat Ford Field in Detroit - where he continued to say that the auto bailout was a bad thing. Romney even insisted he remembered the fiftieth anniversary of the automobile, a landmark moment in Detroit - which he couldn't have remembered, as it happened before he was even born.

Newt Gingrich couldn't let everyone else have all the fun, so he attacked the Afghan people verbally, saying it's impossible for anyone to fix their country, as he suggested Afghan citizens should “figure out how to live your own miserable life.” All this as America continues to wrangle with a particularly touchy diplomatic situation. Meanwhile, Ron Paul sat in the metaphorical corner and never attacked the frontrunner, Romney - but pounded Romney's rivals, all while denying he's already made a deal with Romney.

Don't even talk to us about the insanity at the state level in places like Pennsylvania, Alabama, and New Hampshire.

Democrats haven't seemed one hundred percent sane either this season. Some Democrats in Michigan have vowed to wreak havoc in Michigan's open primary today - a tactic they learned from Rush Limbaugh's actions four years ago. Further, news leaked out that former Governor, and U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Bob Kerrey, may change his mind and run for the Senate seat currently occupied by Ben Nelson - which has Nebraska republicans gobsmacked and in a panic.

Of all these actions, Kerrey's are the ones we understand most. After all, as we noted at the beginning of February, sources have said internal Democratic polling confirms Kerrey could decisively win over any of the Republicans currently vying for the Nelson Senate seat. For Kerrey not to run at this point would almost be more crazy than if he ran.

If we were writing a script to produce this year's election season as a book, TV show, or movie, we'd have to admit - so far, it's been non-stop excitement, on multiple levels.

The problem is, this isn't entertainment. It's supposed to be about governing.

Somebody, please tell all the fools to return to their respective native kingdoms, from whatever planet they might have originated. Their loyal subjects are missing their idiocracy.

The Next Middle East Mess

For nearly a year now, in the links we provide with our weekday e-mail edition and in the other content we provide, we've mentioned the ongoing conflict in Syria. We have watched sadly as the conflict has gone from what appeared to be a bright light in the Arab Spring, to the ugly and bitter beginnings of an internal Syrian war.

If you're surprised, as a reader, to see a cartoon about Syria, or read a commentary about Syria in today's edition, we understand. Stories on Syria didn't grace the print editions or the online front pages of the L.A. Times, the Wall Street Journal, or the Washington Post over the weekend. The New York Times had only a small lead story on Sunday, with the rest of the story tucked inside.

The cable so-called news networks each devoted only one quick segment each to Syria this weekend, and none seemed to concentrate heavily on the ongoing massacre. The best that most media organizations did was to report on the sham constitutional election being held while government forces bomb the hell out of the opposition and innocent civilians.

The Red Cross & Red Crescent have yet to be able to strike a deal with President Bashar al-Assad's government to evacuate journalists and wounded Syrians, and the government forces continue to destroy their own country's infrastructure. The few Western journalists left in Syria are there at the risk of their own lives. Media reports from the region have shrunk to an ever smaller number since the recent killing of three journalists, including French photographer Remi Ochlik and American war correspondent Marie Colvin.

Meanwhile, representatives from more than sixty nations - including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - kept trying to discuss ways that they could apply even more outside political pressure to the Assad regime than they already have been, for most of the last year.

In short, things in Syria are a mess.

This situation is not, however, America's mess to clean up, regardless of the inaction on the part of the rest of the civilized world.

As we mentioned in a commentary that drew some sharp comments last year, America is no longer the world's policeman. We can not afford the cost, in dollars, lives, or political capitol - regardless of what those within the military industrial complex are pushing for. President Obama and Secretary Clinton kept America at a significant distance with the Libyan conflict, and should America offer any aid at all in Syria, it should be no more than what was offered in Libya.

We understand - there are those in the world who already are crying for America to clean up yet another nation's mess that isn't our responsibility. Yet the best policy for America, and for the world, is to NOT get involved with the internal conflict in Syria any more than we have to.

America's lack of direct involvement has nothing to do with oil or Iran - though Syria's conflict has elements that could destabilize both.

It has to do with the proper place of America in the world, and in the future, politically.

America may appear to some to be waiting in the wings with mop and bucket in hand, to clean up Pres. Assad's mess in Syria. The truth is, we're merely holding the cleanup tools for the Arab League, the U.N., and the Syrian people.

If other world powers decide they want this Syrian conflict cleaned up in a short period of time, they're going to have to get their own hands dirty for a change.

Friday Funday: Getting Away From The Insanity

As another weekend approaches, our staff is hungrily planning their staycations and events, to try and get away from the sheer insanity of the past week. While there have been some good things going on in the political world, many of the actions that have happened may have never needed to happen - and have us shaking our heads at the pure stupidity of them all.

Take the battle over women's health rights in Virginia.

After all the howling in the media, after the sneaky underhanded actions used to get the bill to the Virginia Legislature in the first place, the invasive transvaginal ultrasound bill died this week after massive protests, as we noted earlier in the week. The ridiculous personhood bill in Virginia also got scuttled, which we were glad to see.

The ultrasound bill itself was stupid, mean-spirited, and as any just person can see, a poorly-disguised attempt by right-wing extremists to raise a huge barrier to a procedure that is legal under Federal law, and has been for nearly forty years. For our staff living in Virginia, it was an embarrassment, and wasted state funds unnecessarily.

In Nebraska, our legislature didn't do much better in avoiding stupid actions this week.

On Thursday, a constitutional amendment to lengthen term limits cleared a first round hearing easily, and will likely eventually end up on the 2012 ballot - where 'common wisdom' is that it will likely also pass. What we can't understand is that a short dozen years ago, Nebraskans voted in favor of the original constitutional amendment which set up term limits in the first place, and pushed a large number of Nebraskans who were highly skilled public servants out of the Legislature.

Many of those former state senators simply ended up working elsewhere in state or local government, and more than a few became members of lobbyist organizations in Nebraska. If the intent of the original law was to force those individuals out of government completely, it failed miserably - as many said it would, a dozen years ago.

Don't even talk to us about how mind boggling the actions of state government are down in Florida. We'll have to explain some of those actions soon enough - and we're heading for the weekend, so we're simply filing those stories for another day.

Too many of the good media folk we know get so caught up in the stories we all cover that sometimes, it's hard for them to pull away and look at the good things in life. advancement

A friend of one of our staffers adopted a little girl a few years ago, who - this past week, at the proud age of nine-and-a-half learned to ride her bike without training wheels. We've got new flooring in one of our offices, and it looks great. We also have some new technology toys to play with - and our staffer Amy hosted her daughter's second birthday party this week.

We have a friend of the staff in Maryland who will begin planning his wedding soon, thanks to the Maryland legislature's actions this week. And a couple of our friends in radio earned national honors - and promotions.

We even know someone who will be involved in the Lincoln Polar Plunge at Holmes Park this weekend, to benefit the Special Olympics - though the weather is looking is be a fairly balmy 48º on Saturday.

No matter what insane things our elected officials do, there is so much more to our lives than what we focus on here, five days a week. Whether you're involved in politics or in the media - as many of our readers are - or you're simply retired and loving it, we sincerely hope that you remember your lives are more than just the political battles that we all so often focus upon.

The things we focus on are important, yes, - but they're not worth bashing one's head over, every single day.

Get out and enjoy the weekend. The insanity will resume on Monday, guaranteed.

Sick From It

Last night, if you were like most Americans, you may have watched Survivor, or a sporting event. You may have gone out to dinner, or attended a religious function. Hopefully, you enjoyed yourself.

The only people who probably did what we did last night were being paid to do it - and technically, one of our staff WAS being paid to do it, so we hope he enjoyed his job.

"It", sadly, was watching the umpteenth - officially, the twentieth - GOP Presidential debate. Like drinking too much, when knowing what will happen later, the night began with jokes about what the four men would say during the debate - and felt like a familiar hangover before it was done.

In a nushell, the debate wasn't much different from many that have gone before. There were a few moments where one candidate or another said something in a particular way that clued you in to the idea that their campaign staff had scripted the response for conservative radio play today - but there weren't any iconic moments.

Rick Santorum came under heavy fire from the very beginning - and he quite obviously cracked. His answer on a favorite target of Republicans over the last few years - earmarks - was far more convoluted than most Americans can understand. It made Santorum look like he's in favor of earmarks - which, by his own words and history, he is.

Santorum's position on contraception was even more convoluted, and when he was challenged by Mitt Romney, he seemed to twist himself into a pretzel. Santorum's attempt to turn the subject into one focused on Romneycare fell flat, and the audience didn't seem to be buying what Rick was selling most of the night. His defense of his record was embarrassingly bad. Santorum also remained unapologetic about his extreme right-wing views on social issues, which garnered less crowd support than we thought it would.

Mitt Romney, while occasionally looking aggressive and irritated, hit Santorum as strongly as he's hit others previously when they've challenged Romney's status as GOP frontrunner. In general, Romney appeared to be the most prepared of the group - and moderator John King seemed to go to Romney less than we thought he might, especially in the second half of the debate.

Ron Paul continued his soft glove approach on Romney, while taking some solids shots at Mr. Santorum. He even cracked a few surprisingly well-recieved jokes. Like he has in previous debates, Congressman Paul's take on Israel - and war in general - seemed to rile up the crowd a bit, both in positive and negative ways.

"Grandpa Newt", the more "cheerful" side of Mr. Gingrich, seemed to be in control during most of the debate, as he kept a positive attitude, while generally letting Romney and Santorum both seem aggressive and frustrated at times. Of course, Gingrich wasn't all hearts and flowers, as he got in his prerequisite slam against the media. Other than cheering Newt's ding at moderator John King about asking the birth control question, the crowd in Arizona didn't seem to be responding to Ginrich's comments as strongly as other crowds at previous debates have done in the past.

All four men often turned questions they were obviously uncomfortable dealing with into ways to attack President Obama, on a variety of topics. Unsurprisingly, on issues of immigration, foreign policy, Israel, Iran, and even women in combat, the candidates seemed to be very good at pulling out quotes and positions of their rivals, without directly pointing out which of the other men on the stage they were attacking. At times, they even agreed with each other.

At the end of the debate, it was clear to us, and apparently most people, that there were no winners on that stage in Arizona last night. Even noted Republican pundit George Will said that neither of the GOP's two strongest challengers - Romney and Santorum - "looks like a formidable candidate for November."

In short, President Obama won the debate last night - and he didn't even have to step on the stage.

Now please don't ask us to watch one of those so-called debates again, for a while. We've had more than enough of that kind of experience. We have a feeling many Republicans out there are sharing our sick feeling right now - though we're willing to bet we'll be feeling better by fall. Unfortunately, for our Republican friends, we have a feeling their despondence and nausea may well continue well past this November.

An Unfair Fight

What's been going on near our DC office, over the last week, in the Virginia Legislature,  has been both an embarrassment and an abomination - especially when we consider that the date on the calendar says 2012, and not 1812.

As we've pointedly noted in the news over the last couple months, several states, pushed by extremists on the far right, have been attempting to pass laws that heavily restrict women's rights. Some of these proposed laws have been in places like Oklahoma and Texas, where sadly such misogyny - even in the modern age - isn't all that surprising.

That some of these attempts have also been happening in places like Iowa - one of the first states to allow gay marriage - and Virginia, has awakened a smaller sub-section of those on the political left who thought these issues had already been decided long ago.

As the extremists on the right have made ever more clear, their full intent truly appears to be to drag the rest of America back in time, to a point at which women, and maybe minorities, once again have less rights than wealthy, white, older men.

While that may seem as crazy to all of you as it does to us, don't expect the U.S. Supreme Court to be the last bastion of sensibility, fairness, or justice if the issue arrives on their docket.

With the decision on Tuesday by four Supreme Court Justices to try a case this fall involving Affirmative Action, the concept of a trustworthy Supreme Court, instead of an extremist, conservative, activist court has been thrown into serious question.

We're also not putting our faith in the U.S. Congress to handle this issue properly. While the House Democrats have announced a hearing to be held tomorrow on the issue of Women's Health - with women both overseeing and testifying at the hearing - the Republican majority in the U.S. House, controlled by males, has already announced they won't allow Thursday's proceedings to be broadcast or recorded for TV, radio, or the internet.

Where we are planning on putting our faith, is in our neighbors, and our friends, who are in the true majority in America - women.

Just look at Virginia.

While two of the most offensive anti-womens' rights laws we've seen at a state level are in front of the Virginia House yet again today, neither has passed, in large part due to the large and growing silent protest of Virginia women right outside the doors of the Virginia capitol.

One law would allow - and in some cases mandate - state-sanctioned rape of women, while the other would allow state-funded adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered families and youth. Both laws have engendered a huge protest.

However, the women of Virginia haven't been allowed to chant and cheer, march and make posters as they stand on the grounds of their capitol. Those kinds of protests are against the laws of the commonwealth.

So they have gone to the Capitol grounds and stood there. Silently.
And they are winning.

Even the Governor of Virginia, who was one of major supporters of these bills has now backed down from his unconditional support of both proposed laws.

If we were the men of the Virginia Legislature, we'd be scared as hell to go home to our wives, mothers, sisters, and female friends if we allowed  abominations like this legislation to pass. Something tells us there's going to be a seriously nasty surprise for many of these men if they push this awful idea through - and an even bigger surprise for them in this fall's elections.

Strange Bedfellows - But They Picked 'Em.

As we promised at the beginning of 2012, we've generally stayed clear of the horse race that is the GOP Presidential primary, only touching on it here and there. However, after the series of comments, stumbles, backpedals, and seriously disturbing accusations by former U.S. Senator and current GOP candidate Rick Santorum this past weekend, and again on Monday, we felt we had to finally weigh in.

We've said for many years now that in politics, who you support, as well as  those whose support you accept, matter a great deal. Nowhere is this more evident than in Mr. Santorum's quest for the White House.

As we briefly pointed out yesterday, Rick Santorum recently made a series of gaffes that were serious, and should give anyone pause in thinking he should be anywhere near the Presidency. First, a video came to light making it clear that Santorum thinks Protestants are not Christians. Today another video came to light where Santorum claimed that the right to privacy has ruined everything. Mr. Santorum also made comments to the effect that President Obama isn't a Christian, and made a very clear analogy that President Obama is a modern-day Hitler. Santorum even went so far as to say that government, at virtually ALL levels, shouldn't be involved with education.

After some half-hearted double-speak apologies Sunday morning, on Monday, Santorum and his surrogates not only didn't seem at all concerned with their slandering of the President over the weekend. They continued the insane lies throughout the day, calling President Obama and the Democratic party "anti-science", while Santorum's own spokeswoman claimed his 'phony theology' gaffe was really referring to radical Islamic policies from the President - policies which don't actually exist.

All this happened while Santorum continued to press hard on the idea that government shouldn't tell you what to do - unless you're a woman, and then government shouldn't allow you to have contraception at all. Apparently, Rick Santorum wants to shrink government down to a small enough size where it will fit inside the private regions of America's women.

If all these things sound insane to you, we're glad, because it proves Rick Santorum's special brand of insanity hasn't infected you yet, and made you think what he's saying is acceptable.

Sadly, if you're a Republican - and we know some of our readers are - this man represents you and all those in your political party to the outside world. The face of your party is no longer Sarah Palin, or Karl Rove, or even Grover Norquist, who are all deranged enough in their own ways.

No, the man your political party has crawled into bed with appears to be far crazier than the former half-term governor from Alaska, at this point.

Even Ms. Palin never said anything close to the idea that Protestants are not Christians. Surprisingly, Ms. Palin also hasn't seemed to have invoked Godwin's law at the height of a major national campaign, like Mr. Santorum.

In short, the man who is currently leading some national polling in the Republican nomination for President is way nuttier than we once thought Sarah Palin was.

That is the current face of the Republican Party.

Don't blame us if so-called independents and moderate Republicans try to sneak away from the GOP now, if they hadn't climbed on the last bus out of crazy town already.

A Wave Of Hysteria

While our staff celebrated birthdays, and cleaned our offices and homes, a disgusting but sadly unsurprising amount of needless hype hit the media this weekend - and that's outside of the overblown coverage of Whitney Houston's memorial service.

One of those hysterical story lines focused on Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, who whined and backpedaled his way through several interviews, trying to parse some video where he boldly, arrogantly, and ignorantly claimed that Protestants were not true Christians. Santorum even desperately resorted to throwing out the lie that's been disproved MANY times, that President Obama isn't a Christian, and that President Obama's political ideas are a "phony theology."

Another story that bored members of our profession were hyperventilating over this weekend was the price of gasoline, and the reaction of Iran cutting oil exports to France and Britain.

It's sad, really, that more of our colleagues either don't keep files on what's been recently produced in the media, or simply don't care to pay attention to what others in their profession have been doing. We addressed this very topic at the beginning of January, nearly a month and a half ago, along with journalists from Bloomberg and Reuters.

Once again, a desperate Republican field has already ginned up their propaganda machines, claiming that the same President Obama they say has overreached on subsidizing alternative energy is now "anti-American energy" as Newt Gingrich claimed over the weekend. Rick Santorum, already proven to be ignorant of basic facts about religion, also weighed in, falsely claiming that President Obama has made America more dependent on foreign oil.

The facts, of course, support neither man, and make them both appear to be chronic liars.

As Bloomberg pointed out in January, America's reliance on foreign oil - specifically from the Persian Gulf - is down to 9% and continuing to fall. In November of 2011, the Wall Street Journal - which is absolutely NOT a liberal media outlet - pointed out that America was a net EXPORTER of oil in 2011. That means America sold more oil to other nations than we imported last year. USA Today confirmed in December; for the first time since 1949, the U.S. exported more oil and oil products than it imported in 2011.

Further, when the White House released its 2013 budget proposal last week, the President renewed his call for ending subsidies to Big Oil and natural gas companies, and doubled down on renewable energy investments – all while Congressional Republicans have been fighting him all the way.

All this adds up to reflect the fact that America is LESS dependent on foreign oil under President Obama, while Obama has been continuing to fight for America to generate MORE of its own energy needs.

It would be journalistic malpractice for us if we didn't note the Obama Administration IS concerned about the price of fuel and its impact on our economy. They and other nations are deeply concerned about rising gas prices, and have been for some time.

That's why, as we, Reuters, and Bloomberg noted back at the beginning of January, the Obama Administration and other leaders around the world have been planning and preparing for events like an international temper tantrum by Iran's leaders for some time. Obama and others already have several solutions to try and keep oil prices down, including tapping oil reserves in Europe, Japan, and the U.S.

If Republican candidates were being honest, they'd acknowledge that most world leaders - save those that are part of OPEC - have little control of the price of oil. The price of oil is determined by supply, demand, and oil futures trading. To that end, President Obama has already made plans to increase the supply, has helped America's oil producers make more oil, and had the Democrats in Congress pass more regulations to restrict oil futures traders. In other words, Obama has already done everything he can.

There may indeed be a wave of gasoline price hikes coming - but there is always a rise in fuel prices in the spring. Anyone who truly loves America should be hoping that this seasonal price hike won't derail the fragile economic recovery – not desperately reaching and failing to graft religion onto politics.

Friday Funday: Pros Know.

We're not sure how your week has progressed, but it's been a busy week for our staff, filled with a larger-than-normal number of local, regional and national news stories. Somehow, every member of our staff also snuck in an evening with our significant others.

While we're all tired, and generally happy, we realize some Americans have been shaken by horrible events, strange political debates, and surprise deaths this week, and they may not be in such a positive mood.

We know at least one friend who recently lost his longtime job, which is never easy to hear. Whatever you may have thought of her, the loss of singer Whitney Houston hasn't been easy for her family to deal with, either.

There was a loss that grabbed us and gave us hope, though, and it happened Thursday afternoon, in West Palm Beach.

Former Major League Baseball player Gary Carter, of both the Montreal Expos and the 1986 World Series chammpion New York Mets, died of brain cancer at the young age of 57. If you don't remember Mr. Carter, the catcher who could have been a designated hitter at one time, we recommend you go back and look at some old video of him playing the game.

There are few people who get to do what they love for a living. There are even fewer who seem to simply love living their life. Gary Carter seemed to be one of those people.

Whether you saw him on TV, or in the pages of Sports Illustrated, or in the pages of your local newspaper, he never seemed to stop smiling. Not a goofy grin, or a faked smile, but the well-worn smile of someone who loved life, and wanted everyone else to work together, count their blessings, and love life, too.

Keith Olbermann, already a well-known sports media figure in 1988, had an encounter with Carter at the National League Championship Series game that we highly recommend you read. In short, Olbermann was working the event as a sports reporter, and had a major guest cancel at the last minute. Carter was walking by when Olbermann got the news, and offered to pinch hit - to step in as a guest for a major league interview on a moment's notice - because Carter knew Olbermann needed the help.

As Olbermann said in his piece on Thursday, "Just like that. [Carter] overheard that a guy he barely knew was in a spot, and he managed to shuffle a few things around – an hour before a game that helped decide whether or not his team would go to the World Series."

What makes us smile about Carter's passing is that the kind of action he did for Olbermann seemed to be Gary Carter's default setting. As Olbermann notes, and as we heard from a few folks in the West Palm Beach area Thursday evening, nearly everyone who knew him had a similar story.

Carter was a guy who would have helped shovel your drive, or helped keep you from dropping your groceries in the parking lot when your arms were full. He didn't make a big deal about who he was. He'd help you out, wish you well - and then he'd go play Major League Baseball, at a World Series level.

Gary Carter LOVED living life, on and off the field. He was a real pro at it - and it showed.

If the rest of we Americans showed even half as much professionalism in our own lives, we think there might be more smiles on the faces of more people, like the one Gary Carter used to sport in all those newspaper photos.

Be a pro at life. Enjoy your weekend. Smile.

Punching Back

It's amazing to us sometimes how transparent and yet embarrassing certain stories in American politics can be. It's also amazing how thick-headed and tin-eared some politicians can become when certain well-funded political backers support the politician in question.

This week, there are at least two examples of that kind of embarrassing and thick-skulled action going on in the Governor's offices of both Nebraska and Wisconsin.

In the case of Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker - a man who's become well-known for his anti-worker, pro-corporatist hypocrisy - no amount of PR baloney could hide the groveling and cowardice he displayed on Wednesday of this week.

Initially, Walker was to meet President Obama when he flew in to Wisconsin.  Then the two of them would travel to tour the Master Lock manufacturing facility that the President touted in his state of the union speech. Not only has Master Lock brought jobs back to America, but the company chose to bring them back to a union workplace. Master Lock officials have said more than once that bringing jobs back to the union workplace in Milwaukee was cheaper, and the product quality is better - something we're not surprised at in the least.

What we also weren't surprised at was when Gov. Walker begged off from the factory tour with the President, claiming that the Governor had caught the flu. Video of the Governor meeting President Obama at the Milwaukee airport for a short visit, before the President went on to the lock factory, appears to show a Scott Walker who looked anything but ill with the flu.

For one thing, if Governor Walker had truly been ill, the President's security team would not have likely allowed the Governor as close as he was to the President. To us, it's obvious Gov. Walker - a man who will likely be recalled soon - was simply running away from the labor workers and the success story at the Master Lock factory.

In a similar fashion in Nebraska, Gov. Dave Heineman has been insisting, in nearly every way possible, that he's going to cram a bevy of new tax cuts through the 2012 Nebraska state budget. This, in a year when the state needs every penny of revenue just to keep its meager services operating at minimum levels.

The Governor's biggest push has been to get rid of the Inheritance Tax. This particular tax supports a surprising number of local government actions - like roads maintenance - but Heineman wishes to eliminate it for the benefit of a relatively few, highly wealthy sources. In fact, Gov. Heineman's plan to impose that $327 million tax cut was initially endorsed by two of the wealthiest farming organizations in the state, the Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Cattlemen.

Yet, a funny thing seems to be happening on the way to Heineman and his rich backers getting out of paying the inheritance tax.

Nebraska's state legislators - who have to face the citizens they serve far more often than the Governor does - appear to have no intention of doing Governor Heineman's dirty work.

In fact, the eight member Revenue Committee of the Nebraska legislature made it clear this week that they couldn't support the repeal of the inheritance tax, and would not support it going forward. The sizable protest at Nebraska's capitol on Tuesday, by eight different groups all protesting the Governor's unaffordable tax cut, gave the legislator's refusal a large and loud punch of active citizen punctuation.

Politicians like Walker and Heineman need to learn, and learn fast;  their tricks will no longer be tolerated by Americans of all political persuasions.

The people - regardless of party loyalty - are tired of being given surprise sucker punches by their politicians. They may very well punch back this year - like the recall of Gov. Walker will likely soon prove.

Held Down & Held Back - But Not By Color

As we promised at the beginning of 2012, we haven't been myopically focused on the Presidential political horse race much so far this year, and we're not likely to start being super-concerned with it anytime soon. With the GOP candidates faring increasingly worse against a President and an economy that both appear to be continuing an upward climb, the news items that are catching and holding our attention have little to do with who's up and down this week in popularity polling.

No, the story that's got us in its grip has been developing over the last forty years in America, and it's a topic that only one 2012 Presidential candidate has addressed recently.

According to several recently released studies quoted in the New York Times and The Atlantic magazine this past week, the worst battle against inequality in America today isn't between blacks and whites, or any other two racial groups. It's about how America's kids are doing today - and what the economic status of their parents will do to help them out, or weigh them down, in the future.

According to the research, since 1940, the achievement gap in schools has narrowed considerably between white children and black children, while the gap between the wealthy and the poor has increased by 40 percent. Further, since 1980, the children of rich parents are almost 50 percent more likely to complete college than those with lesser financial means.

To put it another way, the oft-told myth of American economic mobility that lies at the heart of many political arguments today - especially those from the conservative right - has become just that: a myth.

American economic mobility is now FAR behind that of many other so-called "First World" nations. According to the most recent calculations, kids born in most of Western Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and even Pakistan have a better chance of moving up the economic ladder, and doing better than their parents than American kids do today.

We won't deny; some of the drag on economic mobility has to do with the failures of our current educational system - specifically teaching to tests, instead of teaching critical skills.

To that end, President Obama last Friday released ten states from the well-intended, but poorly implemented 'No Child Left Behind' statutes. Those states include Florida, Indiana, and Oklahoma, where we know some of our readers are intimately involved with both education and communications. Schools in these states will still be held to a set of academic standards agreed to by both the states and the Federal government, but the specific rules behind the 'No Child' law will no longer apply to them.

That's cold comfort to the children who've already started their school careers weighed down by the weight of their family's economic status.

We all agree that what the studies prove - that American children are less weighed down by their race than ever before - is fantastic news. Racism is still a long way from completely going away in America, but at least American children aren't being penalized against their future success as much by the color of their skin as they once were.

Sadly, those same studies show that even more kids are now being penalized due to the size of their parent's bank account when they're born. The worst part about it is that those penalties don't just get applied during the child's school years. The punishment of being born poor weighs people down for the rest of their lives - and decreased the overall success of America.

If Americans leave things the way they are now in our educational system, the extremists will continue to perpetuate the feudalistic lie that the children of the rich are better people, in large part because they were born rich. That idea is both sick and factually wrong.

Severe economic inequality and economic immobility need to be put back where they both belong: Deep-sixed to the Davy Jones' locker of history.

As Good As Any Other

In case you hadn't checked your calendar yet - or seen the piles of candy, cards, and teddy bears in stores leading up to today - this is officially Valentine's Day - though it's known by a whole host of other nicknames if you ask some of our friends, colleagues, and clients.

For many men in committed relationships, today is also known as "Guys Can't Win Day" - a day that Hallmark, Hersheys, florists, and jewelers everywhere count on for a boost to their annual bottom line. We say this with our collective tongues planted firmly in our collective cheeks. We're well aware that many women - including our staff member, Amy - don't expect nearly as much from their men on Valentine's day as modern American advertising leads us to believe.

No cars with massive bows needed. Just a small cup of her favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream at home, or a simple night out without the kids, may be just the right display of affection that shows you care and also doesn't break the bank.

Of course, unless your partner is a great storyteller with that kind of gift, we don't recommend that simple course of action.

When she goes on Facebook, or Twitter, or Pinterest, or talks to her flock of friends, you naturally want her to brag about how awesome a gift-giver you are, and how thoughtful you can be. One of our staffers has a gay friend who took his partner to Vegas for Valentine's Day a few years ago - and all of the partner's female friends still remind their husbands of this every year.

Don't worry if you can't afford the lights, glamour, and big tiger shows of Vegas. The fact is, no matter how good a gift you give, no matter how big or how small, there's no real way for men to win on a day like today.

Even single men can get into trouble.

Among certain people we know, Valentine's Day is also known as "Singles Awareness Day" - and that's not necessarily meant in a good way. At one office we know, every year on this day people bring in all kinds of sugary sweet treats and foods, and all the single people eat too much - and then loudly complain in a completely unnecessary display of self-loathing. One guy at the office in question blew all his pocket change, and even a bit of bill money last year, so he could buy every woman in the place a single rose, like in "The Bachelor" television show.

Unfortunately, one of his co-workers was allergic to the roses placed all over the office, and another two read more into his gesture than he'd intended.

We're aware the Valentine's Day tradition has many different historical origins, and has basically evolved - or devolved - into little more than a "Hallmark holiday" (which, we actually appreciate, for those people we know who work at Hallmark). Because of that, some guys just don't want to celebrate the holiday. They think it's crass commercialism, worse than Christmas in some ways.

Commercialism or not, we say if you're gonna be damned - as a guy - one way or another? It may as well be for something you actually DID do, instead of what you didn't do.

So do something nice and get your Significant Other a nice gift - whatever you think will show you really care.

After all, today is as good as any other day to show the person you love - or even just the people around you - that you care. Besides - no matter how good you did? Tomorrow, someone will have done better, and you'll hear about it later. Most probably will have done a whole lot worse, though.

Like those guys buying chocolates at the gas station on the way home from work tonight...

Perspectives And Truth

We're fairly sure that most of you have heard by now that singing sensation and pop music icon Whitney Houston passed away over the weekend. Though the exact cause of death remains a mystery, it was no mystery to us why it took the media as long as it did to report the event.

We and others have mentioned it many times, sadly; corporate media no longer wants to pay for live staff members on weekends and overnights - even in the so-called 24-hour news business. As big a star as Whitney Houston once was, and as much as she still meant to pop music, when Ms. Houston died Saturday afternoon, it wasn't until Saturday evening that the Associated Press released the first official report of her death.

Even in the midst of a such a sad occasion for many in the music business, her death did provide a note of positivity for some of us.

When the AP sent out its initial news blast about Ms. Houston's death, over Twitter, Facebook, and other more standard news channels, the first reaction we saw from those we know OUTSIDE the media industry wasn't to automatically accept the news at face value. Sure, they trusted the word coming from the AP - a news organization that has earned and mostly continues to earn a great deal of trust.

However, a surprising number of our friends also acted like REAL journalists themselves, attempting to verify the news from a second source, unrelated to the first, before accepting it as factual. We saw a blistering flow of Facebook and Twitter messages, and received several texts and e-mails, that said things like, "I checked CNN - no Whitney news. Just recd prgm," or "Saw it on ABC News - but they're just quoting AP. Keep looking."

At a moment of sadness for many, people who have never been journalists were following the old-fashioned journalistic rules that we we hold in very high regard. Trust, but verify. Use multiple, unrelated sources. Make sure the facts are clear before you react. Then, you can react.

From the time the AP news brief hit, until the time ANY of the cable news networks spoke of it was easily thirty minutes. Some of them took nearly an hour. The TV network news bureaus responded more rapidly than their cable partners, surprisingly. Some radio stations around the nation were also surprisingly fast, shifting into playing blocks of Ms. Houston's music by mid-evening, some with produced liners already.

The point of our media self-reflection today isn't to pat anyone on the back, or even to be maudlin about Ms. Houston. It's to point out the need for all of us, in the media, to step up to where our audience is now.

There are so many issues of MAJOR importance happening in our world now, that our listeners and readers want and need us - now more than ever - to be ready to give them accurate, truthful, honest information, at any time.

Just in politics, this week alone, the payroll tax extension will be discussed and heavily debated. It could mean $40 less in every paycheck the rest of the year for working Americans, if Republicans refuse to compromise with Democrats and the President. Today, the President is also releasing his proposed budget for 2013 - which Republicans have been saying will be DOA before they've even seen it. It's actually a fairly balanced plan, with both additional budget cuts and tax increases on the richest Americans, who are the only ones who can still afford it.

The Federal highway budget bill will also come up for votes this week, with the President and the Senate - including some Republicans - on one side, and the highly partisan Republican-led House on the other. In short, the extremist House Republicans want to do to Federal highway funding what they're currently doing with the Payroll Tax; make it a political issue they can hold hostage regularly.

Without a media that's actually taking their responsibilities seriously, Republican extremists will use that same method on everything that comes before them, as they have for some time now. Specifically, they hijack the rest of their party, hold the rest of the country hostage, throw a tantrum until they get all or part of their way, while the entire time saying whatever anyone else proposes is garbage - even if they don't have a plan of their own.

The truth can no longer wait. Our audience is not sitting back passively any more. If we don't do our jobs? People will no longer need us. If that means a media company has to sacrifice the highly bloated salaries of a few questionably worthwhile executives so that they can actually staff the business they claim to be running, that's a small price to pay to make sure the truth arrives before the lies fill the void.

Friday Funday: Trading Spaces

In case you hadn't noticed, in addition to Paul's newest cartoons for Capitol News and the Oklahoma Gazette, we've been pulling out a few of Paul's best cartoons this week, as the office was getting a bit of a "remodel." That made it a little difficult to follow our normal production workflow, with half the furniture stacked in a corner, on top of itself.

With the remodeling and the colder temperatures in Lincoln and DC, some of our staff members have been thinking that a trade of office spaces with our West Palm Beach location might not be a bad idea, at least for a little while. Truthfully, it's a wonder of the modern age that we can so easily shift duties from one location to another and move parts of our publication workflow around the more scheduled requirements of our other jobs.

It's also true that right now, South Florida - including Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and our location in West Palm Beach - is considered one of the most miserable places to live in America, by Forbes magazine.

Even though this winter has been surprisingly mild - especially compared to the last few years - we sympathize and empathize with many of those who regularly feel the grip of Old Man Winter. Certainly, the idea of living in warm climates during the winter is appealing to a large number of people. For our staff in our South Florida location, not having to deal with ice IS probably the most enjoyable part of winter.

There is a lot more to life than just the weather, though.

We love the museums, events, history, culture, and of course our friends, in our DC location. And our family, many friends, Husker sports, and favorite places and foods draw us to Lincoln too. At least one member of our staff doesn't even mind the snow and ice (We know - the rest us think that's crazy too).

Thoughts about all the things we love in each of our office locations makes us think that maybe we should trade office spaces with each other, for even just a little while.

Of course, that would also mean packing up many of the things we have in each of our locations that aren't in the others - and that's not really a pleasant thought at all.

Maybe this weekend, we'll simply call each other, or get on Skype so we can see the weather in the other locations. After all - while trading spaces SOUNDS like a good idea, we'd each still have to travel to our other office locations.

Frankly, none of us is in the mood to get groped by the TSA this weekend.

We hope that wherever you are this weekend, you enjoy where you are, and don't wish you were somewhere else.

Finding The Truth In The Noise

For nearly a week, right wing extremists in both the Catholic Church and the media, have been screaming about a policy that has been discussed in political circles since shortly after the Affordable Care Act - the ACA - was passed last year. In January, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Obama Administration was going to go ahead and implement the policy of equitable insurance coverage, as part of the continuing rollout of the ACA.

The policy had been known about for some time before it began being implemented. Parts of the policy have actually been in place for over a decade, and were put in place during the Bush years. No religious groups or media organizations had made any significant noise about it, even when the Obama Administration rolled out its part of the policy. That would lead most sane, honest people to think there was no real trouble with the issue.

Legally and ethically, there still isn't - though the screams and tantrums coming from the extremist right may have made you think otherwise.

The claims of people from the screaming radio hatemongers to the members of the Council of Catholic Bishops - even some candidates for the President -  have been saying that the equitable insurance coverage clause will force Catholic hospitals to pay for birth control and abortions. Some of those setting their hair on fire have even been saying this will be done with taxpayer dollars in Catholic medical institutions.

The truth is much more boring.

Those who've been stirring up trouble on the contraception and insurance issue say the Obama Administration can't make religious organizations include coverage for birth control... but twenty-eight states already do. Most Americans are already paying for birth control, whether they like it or not - though most Americans do actually like it.

In fact, as Steve Benen recently pointed out, most Americans - including most Catholics - believe that all employers should be required to provide their employees with health care that covers contraception and birth control at no cost to the patient.

That's what the equitable insurance coverage clause does.

It says that IF a private employer is going to provide health insurance for their employees, ALL policies - including those at the most basic level - must provide the OPTION of coverage for birth control and other women's health options, in the same way they are already required to provide the OPTION for men's health issues like Erectile Dysfunction.

In short, the insurance policies an employer chooses must give the choice to cover both the little blue pill for him, and the little pink pills for her.

There are those who are saying the Obama administration - through the equitable insurance coverage clause - is taking away the freedom of choice of businesses to choose not to provide insurance, or to provide a less-than-adequate basic level of health insurance. That the ACA, and many states' insurance laws already give states and the Federal government the right to fine an employer if they don't provide certain basic levels of health care insurance seems to escape those who are protesting this decision.

Just like with any law that benefits the greater public good, individuals and businesses alike already have the freedom to violate the law if they choose - so long as they're willing to pay the penalty for doing so.

The decision to roll out the equitable insurance coverage clause was not a decision the White House made lightly - and our sources say the Administration is NOT likely to change this policy in any serious way, no matter how much trouble the Catholic Church stirs up. That the administration has said in public it will try and "resolve the controversy" and "ease the ire" regarding this issue, even if they don't change the policy, isn't hypocrisy - it's politics.

In this case, it's the politics of the Obama Administration attempting to explain the new rules, while applying the "General Welfare" clause of the Constitution.

Overreaction + Underplanning = Total Failure

Just after we published on Tuesday, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska Bob Kerrey announced a decision we were fairly sure of for some time now: that he would not seek the U.S. Senate seat he once held.

Kerrey's decision was compounded by the announcement earlier Tuesday that former Lieutenant Governor Kim Robak also declined to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by her former gubernatorial partner, Ben Nelson.

Unsurprisingly, there were all kinds of ridiculous overreactions and feigned surprise, both locally and nationally. These overreactions came from both Democratic and Republican politicians and pundits, and even national media outlets. On the left, Democrats seem to be left headless in a political contest with a filing deadline just a week away. On the right, Republicans are patting themselves on the back, for absolutely no reason. This was a decision by Bob Kerry, who likely could have defeated any of the clownish candidates the Nebraska GOP looks to put up.

Frankly, we're not surprised at any of this. We also won't be surprised at the likely outcome this fall, or in the years to come. This is what allowing nearly unlimited campaign finance donations, few real campaign finance regulations, and years of no real political competition brings.

For more than a few years now, neither major political party has done much real work at building their ranks for the future. As the number of truly competitive races has shrunk in every category from Mayor and Councilperson all the way to Congress, and in every city, state, and legislative district, neither party has had much need or desire to build a decent farm team.

That need diminished even further with the Citizens United ruling. Now both sides can simply bring out of the back rooms the habits they've been publicly denying for many years now, that only those who can beg, borrow, steal, or inherit a small fortune will be able to buy their way into politics in America.

In real terms, the outlook for Nebraskans is sad and bleak for the near future. It's now fairly likely that one of the many incompetent Republican candidates vying for U.S. Senate will pander, lie, and buy their way into Federal office, That is, though, with fewer TV, radio, and newspaper commercials than they might otherwise have purchased had Bob Kerrey decided to enter the contest.

After this fall, those Nebraskans who are not right-wing political extremists will have little real representation in their Federal government. Sadly, all that will be left in Nebraska's national political delegation are politicians who do not agree with, and will not fight for, anything other than extreme conservative points of view. We honestly recommend any politically displaced Nebraskan forward any appeals for Federal assistance to Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa - though they may only be able to do so for another couple of years. By then, the cannibals may have run him out of Washington, as well.

For those who want to curse out Kerrey or Robak, we think you should stop now. Who can blame them for not wanting to get back into the fray with the political landscape the way it now is?

For those on both sides of the common political divide who are decrying the dearth of worthwhile candidates, ask yourselves: would you want to do the pandering, the begging, the glad-handing, and even maybe some groveling just to get the money required to run for office? Would you rather become an incredibly high-priced plaything for a multi-billionaire, like Newt Gingrich seems to be? Would you want to put your family, your friends, your former co-workers - virtually anyone you've ever known - through the insane magnifying glass of a major political/slime campaign today?

We certainly wouldn't.

Game On

As Americans returned to work yesterday, one of the biggest topics of discussion was naturally the Super Bowl, including the commercials. As there often is, one specific ad seemed to be generating the most amount of discussion at workplaces, online, and even in the media.

If you haven't yet seen the ad, we highly recommend that you do. The ad was for the Dodge & Chrysler family of products and featured scenes of Detroit and Michigan - as well as the talents of the iconic Clint Eastwood.  The ad was a stroke of genius, and reportedly, Eastwood even wrote some parts of the script himself. It didn't even mention Chrysler by name - but everyone seems to remember which company the ad was for.

The ad also made it clear, without ever mentioning the auto bailout, that it took everyone coming together - our government included - to rally around and find a way to save one of America's last great industries, and that the same thing is now needed for our nation to take the next big step back.

The message of the ad was a powerful one, one of hope and rebirth - but one that also matches the empirical data about what has been happening in our economy. Already this year, Chrysler announced they had returned to profitability for the first time since 1997. Jobs are starting to come back to Detroit too, and to many places in the Midwest and Ohio Valley that were so decimated by the recession.

These facts about the economy, coupled with the powerful ad, had many people asking if this ad was an ad for Chrysler - or for the Obama reelection campaign. That the ad was voiced over, acted in, and partially written by Clint Eastwood - a man that George H.W. Bush had once considered asking to be his Presidential running mate - seemed to shock those who derided the ad as Obama's, especially those on the right.

The man with the most responsibility for our political system's current hostile temperament, Karl Rove, said the Chrysler ad offended him. Other talking heads on the extremist right followed in lockstep with Rove, denouncing the ad as propaganda, and heavily implying that Eastwood must have sold out.

The truth is, Eastwood did not sell out - either his principles or his politics, a claim supported by Eastwood's own comments on Monday that he is "not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama." In fact, Eastwood has been historically very centrist, with a bit of a libertarian streak. When he was mayor of Carmel, California he was registered non-partisan. He's supported candidates from both major parties in the past, too. And while Eastwood said he voted for John McCain in 2008, he's also noted he has yet to decide who he'll support for President this year.

The claim that the ad is propaganda is also untrue. Even if some Republicans are in denial about it, the economy finally appears set to strengthen its recovery this year - much to the dismay of some very partisan Republicans running for office. Jobs are already coming back to the American automobile industry - and GM finished 2011 as the world's top automaker.

We'll admit - the economy isn't fixed yet, and we're all going to have to work together if we want to get things rolling again, past the starting point into a full-blown recovery. That was exactly Mr. Eastwood's message in that ad - one we believe is good for every American, regardless of their political affiliation.

The fact is, while the Chrysler ad may not have been meant to be political, its honesty and message being delivered at this time in American history make it somewhat naturally political - and to us, that's actually a very good thing.

As Mr. Eastwood says in the ad, "This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines."

The ad finishes with this line: "It’s halftime America. And, our second half is about to begin."

To that, we heartily agree, and simply say, "Game on."

Getting Your Hackles Up

After a weekend filled with Super Bowl hoopla, snow shoveling for some, and another GOP primary contest - the Nevada caucus, which Mr. Romney won handily - America is once again returning to business this morning.

Sadly, there's still a bit of stuff to clean up from last week.

In the middle of the latest gaffe from Mitt Romney, and the preparation for the big Super Bowl game, the Susan G. Komen Foundation made a major mistake pulling funding from Planned Parenthood, which we initially focused on last week. Since our initial whack at the story, two things have changed.

The first major change was that the Komen Foundation partially stepped back from its initial strike at Planned Parenthood on Friday, after the Foundation's actions raised the hackles of millions of people. Upon further review, Komen's claim that they're returning funding to Planned Parenthood appears to be more spin than a real retraction. We're not entirely surprised their so-called advisors got them into this mess - but deciding to pull the funding isn't the main reason for our anger at Komen.

The second major change since last Wednesday was that most of our media colleagues missed the real story in the Planned Parenthood/Komen battle. They got caught up in the complicated secondary topics and didn't really address the real problem with Komen's actions - which we will.

We understand the subjects of abortion, birth control, cancer, and religion are individually complicated topics that raise the ire of many Americans - let alone when any or all of those topics cross paths.

Just on the issue of abortion, there are far more than just two sides. For example, we know of no one who is truly pro-abortion - meaning that they think Americans should have more abortions. We do know individuals who are anti-choice and anti-abortion - meaning they don't want anyone to be able to have abortions (regardless of the fact that the right to choose what to do with one's own body is settled law). We also know those who are pro-choice yet anti-abortion - meaning they'd prefer no one had an abortion, but if a women makes that choice it should be safe and rare. We even know a few people who are truly pro-life. That means they're against the death penalty, war, euthanasia, and abortion, and are heavily in favor of helping the poor get medical care, including breast cancer screenings. Then there are those who claim they're pro-life, but think war and the death penalty are a-okay. We know a few of them too.

You can see from that confusing array of accurate labels why the soundbite media had such a problem with the Planned Parenthood/Komen story.

The biggest single simple lesson most in the media missed, and that the Komen Foundation reminded us all of, is the same lesson that has been taught in American politics repeatedly: the sin isn't as much the action, as it is the coverup.

If the Komen Foundation had come out and admitted they were giving up their carefully cultivated neutral political facade - that they still wanted to to fight cancer but wanted to do it from an extremist conservative point of view - we still think many millions of people would have been disappointed in them. However, we don't think those Americans would be nearly as angry.

What the Komen Foundation did by trying to hide their true intentions under the proverbial cover of fighting cancer was to betray the trust many millions of people formerly had placed in them. Instead, they raised the hackles of millions more and temporarily made the issue of fighting cancer into a political beach ball.

Organizations that want to fight cancer from a left or right political stance may certainly do so - and we welcome their help from all sides. What organizations should NOT do is attempt to use something as important as fighting cancer as a shield for their organization's political views.

The truth is easy. Cancer is not political. It harms all who are affected by it. The goal of beating cancer is one we can all agree on.