Well, it's official. Today marks the birth of Sirius XM Inc. After nearly a year and a half of regulatory limbo the deal is finally done.

This will be a short diary but I'm interested in what everyone thinks here.

For those of you sick and tired of the candidate pie fight diaries.

Thankfully the problem of Global Climate Change has been at least a topic so far in the campaigns. But personally I don't particularly like the solutions being proposed.

Windfall profit taxes, cap and trade systems, gas tax holidays. I simply don't believe they'll work.

Follow me below the fold for a fresh idea.

Ok, that's not really true, but now that I have your attention, why are we so married to that term?

That term served its purpose very well when the issue was first on the public stage. It worked. It got our attention. That's great.

Now I think it hurts the cause more than helps it.

Yesterday,

Dozens of Greek and Armenian priests and worshippers exchanged blows at one of Christianity's holiest shrines on Orthodox Palm Sunday, and used palm fronds to pummel police who tried to break up the brawl.

Ah, Jesus must be so proud.

I'm not sure I really have any more to add than the previous diaries on Spitzer, but

I am reposting this from Thursday because my blood pressure is still up, and I don't think enough people are outraged...

Indulge me while I vent a little.

I know I read somewhere that holding it in is bad for your health. Probably some Congresional study. Wouldn't want to get sick now would I. Would just end up healthy, and on the street, with the current cost of health care.

Wait. Congress is addressing that aren't they? Along with illegal immigration and the war in Iraq? Busy drafting policy to make my life and the country better. Busy doing what it was we sent them to Washington to do, right?

Wrong. They're too busy protecting me from professional baseball pitchers who may or may not have taken steroids.

I am reposting this from Thursday because my blood pressure is still up, and I don't think enough people are outraged.

Indulge me while I vent a little.

I know I read somewhere that holding it in is bad for your health. Probably some Congresional study. Wouldn't want to get sick now would I. Would just end up healthy, and on the street, with the current cost of health care.

Wait. Congress is addressing that aren't they? Along with illegal immigration and the war in Iraq? Busy drafting policy to make my life and the country better. Busy doing what it was we sent them to Washington to do, right?

Wrong. They're too busy protecting me from professional baseball pitchers who may or may not have taken steroids.

This will be a short diary, but I have to ask the question. It may not be politically correct. It may not be wise. But I think it just might be relevant.

It occured to me the other day that perhaps one of the most incitefull people of the last century when it comes to the poor may have been Elvis Presly.

While this is not a candidate diary, poverty today is certainly a campaign issue, as it surely should be. What would Elvis do? Follow me below the fold.

I hate writing this diary, but I feel the need to. I see this too often here and I have to ask the community this question. Are we so intent on change that we feel the need to manufacture issues?  

I remember most of the votes I made, I just can't always exactly remember why.

I remember my youth, I think. I know I don't remember the sixties, but I don't remember why.

In the same boat? Follow me below the....the....heck what do we call that? Ah yes, the cold. No wait, that's not right. Grrrrr, well follow me anyway.

Don Imus is probably a bigot and a racist.
Don Imus said a stupid racist thing.
Don Imus apologized.
Don Imus got fired.

The day Al Sharpton stands up and calls for Jesse Jackson to be fired for his "Hymietown" remark, is the day I'll listen to what Al Sharpton thinks. And the day Jesse Jackson allows himself to be fired for it is the day I'll listen to what Jackson thinks.

Until then, they're both no better than Don Imus.

Since when did we as a country (or community for that matter) become so obsessed with words? Do we not have more important issues to deal with than being offended by words these days?

I've been told time and time again on this blog to grow a thick skin or leave. People may not always like what you have to say, but dialogue is important and if you want to survive here you have to have thick skin.

Fair enough. I agree. That's good advice and all that.

But fuck me runnin'.

There are any number of diaries here discussing An Inconvenient Truth and how to save energy and the environment.

I'm here to say that the longest journey begins with but one small step.

Those of you not from Texas probably are not aware of the controversy going on here regarding our public schools, vouchers, and our states funding of public schools.

That said, it's probably very similar to what many of you are experiencing in your local communities. But this is not a diary about vouchers. This is a diary about my confusion as to why good teachers should not be rewarded.

The post 9-11 environment in this country brought us such laws as the Patriot Act. A knee jerk reaction by congress to look like they were at least doing something to protect us, right?

How's that workin' out for ya?

A similar, but less discussed law is the Sarbes-Oxley Act (SOX). Issued in the wake of the Enron debacle, this new law was meant to strengthen corporate governance at America’s public companies.  In reality, the bill was a misguided mishmash of provisions passed in an uncritical hurry by a panicky Congress. Again, they needed to look like they were doing something, right?

How's that workin' out for ya?

I've seen a number of diaries that, rightly, stomp and scream at the current ridiculous level of CEO compensation. Nothing but a bunch of greedy bastards right? Well, not always it seems.