Monday, May 29, 2006

Today's Video Link

Right now, a lot of the Conservative blogosphere is getting worked up over what they see as some discrepancy in a statement by Al Gore. As near as I can figure out, Gore said something about spending a week in France when he was fifteen and his detractors say (a) this couldn't have happened and (b) this proves the guy is a pathological liar or something of the sort. I've received several e-mails from people who are dead certain that there's no such thing as Global Warming and their "proof" doesn't extend far beyond their view that Gore can't be trusted so if he says it's so, it isn't. I suppose if Gore were to say it's currently 2006, they'd take that as evidence that it was some other year.

This is a political tactic that annoys the hell out of me. A lot of politicians lie and when they lie, they oughta be called on it. But all of them — without exception — say things that seem to contradict the record and which can be spun as lies if you try hard enough. It cheapens the whole concept of The Truth to label every seeming discrepancy as a bald-faced lie. Bill Clinton saying "I did not have sex with that woman" was a lie. Bill Clinton saying he read about black churches being burned in Arkansas when he was a kid (when there's no record any were) is not a lie, any more than you're lying when you misremember someone's birthday.

Here's a video clip of George W. Bush caught in what sure looks like a lie about something pretty important. In fact, it's so important that I'm inclined to believe it's not a lie...just real sloppy storytelling. However, if the Democrats had someone like Karl Rove running plays for them, you can bet this would get sold hard as rock-solid proof that not only is Bush a liar but that he has some severe emotional disturbance that makes him incapable of telling the truth.

• Posted at 9:28 PM · LINK

Things I've Learned Since My Surgery

Here are some things I've learned since I had my surgery last Friday...

• I've learned my bathroom scale doesn't work. I stepped on it this morning and it gave me a weight six pounds higher than my pre-surgery weight. Five minutes later, I stepped on it again and I was eight pounds under. Just for fun, I've stepped on it about ten times today and gotten more random numbers. So I have no idea how much I've lost so far.
• I've learned that a lot of my expectations of pain were for naught. I've had very little. Today, I hurt about as much as I generally do when I have a cold and some of my joints swell a bit, and that isn't much. They gave me a medicine to take for pain and I don't think I'll be opening the bottle.
• I've learned how good the clear chicken broth from Canter's Delicatessen tastes. Especially when that's the only thing you've eaten all day that even remotely resembles food. And no, I'm not the least bit hungry.
• I've learned how odd it feels to shower when someone has shaved your stomach.
• Lastly, I've learned that I have a lot of good friends out there — some of whom I never heard of or from before — who wrote with good wishes and words of encouragement. I also learned that there are a couple (just a couple) of folks who couldn't resist telling me of their friend who had a similar operation and suffered and/or died. Gee, thanks. You're so helpful. But most of you have been very nice and I'll try to answer all your notes.

• Posted at 9:03 PM · LINK