THis excellent commercial for Volkswagen features a good friend of mine...

This small news clip in today's San Diego Union-Tribune really got me thinking about the fragility of life, especially when we assume that someone close to us, someone we share mental images with, someone we love is abruptly taken home by our Maker. This is not some metaphysical question, it is REALITY. It is one thing if someone is sick or in poor health. But this guy obviously was in the prime of life. And when he got up this morning, he undoubtedly thought about all the things he has to do, people he has to see, situations he has to clarify and find solutions to.

IT BEGS THE QUESTION....

When was the last time you hugged that person?
When was the last time you shared a laugh, shared a tear with that person?
How do you know that the last time you did those things won't be the last time you ever see them alive? Last time you hear the sound of their voice?
Before this man collapsed, what was the last thing he thought about it?
Who did he irrationally love? What was his passion?
How will he be remembered by others who are left behind knowing that this life on this earth has been extinguished?
How would you remember that person?
How would you be remembered if you were suddenly taken from this earth? This life?

Man dies at Seaport Village; no ID

The Medical Examiner's Office is asking for the public's help to identify a man who collapsed at Seaport Village this morning and died.

The man was exercising when he collapsed. He died at 10:45 a.m. at UCSD Medical Center.

He is described as white, in his 40s, about 6 feet tall and 195 pounds. He had salt-and-pepper hair and green eyes. He had no tattoos or noticeable scars. He was wearing athletic shorts and red and silver Asics gel running shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the medical examiner at (858) 694-2895.

So, Cardin asked the nominee: Don't courts have to take such factors as race into account?

Sotomayor paused. "Well," she replied, "it depends on the context of the case that you're looking at."

The hearings were a moment of history that liberals had awaited for 15 years: an opportunity for a Democratic president's Supreme Court nominee to inject into the public dialogue fresh ideas about the Constitution and the law, beginning to recalibrate a court that has gravitated to the right.

OH MY GOD....what are the liberal political zealots going to do now....imagine...a court decision based on FACTS and NOT ideology?

Burn Judge Sotomayor on the stake!

NOT!

As someone who considers himself to be a political atheist, the Democrats are really doing their part to alienate me from any agenda they pursue. While some of my friends take their participation and belief in the Democratic party with the same zeal as a religion, I am looking upon them more and more these days as a bunch of lying, cheating, hypocrites.

Pres. Barack Obama LIED to the gay community about his commitment to actively working towards ending Bill Clinton's nothing-short-of-disastrous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy towards the military. Yet, he gladly took the community's money during the campaign.

Pres. Barack Obama LIED to the American people about conducting a healthy open debate about a reform of the broken health care system resorting to subterfuge and clandestine meetings.

Pres. Obama has talked big about "transparency like has never been seen before in an American administration."

And now the latest: Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., head of the intelligence committee, suggested that the George W. Bush administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress. "Congress should investigate the secrecy because "it could be illegal," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said." (Associated Press)

Why oh why if we are so concerned about secrecy are the Democrats PROTECTING and doing what they can to HIDE the dirty politics of the exalted Kennedy family and the resulting coverup of the murder of a campaign worker by Sen. Ted Kennedy? And why are the Republicans coddling this waddling two-legged bastion of alcohol and drug abuse and womanzing? What about "transparency" in that?

Yes, the prospect of having former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the U.S. presidency scares the bejesus out of me. But at least we would have a professional leader sitting in the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, not a President who is right now very quickly working towards copying the mistakes of another failed Democratic President, Jimmmy Carter (who guy really nobody these days seems to like) for his antisemitic stance towards Israel and an obsession with the Palestinians who seem not to have anything to do these days than throw rocks and lob missiles towards sovereign countries.

I'm not a big fan of either President Bush, but at least they kept our country safe after three thousand of our fellow citizens were murdered by Middle Eastern terrorists, people envious of what we have accomplished in our country....no thanks to them.