No Comment on the State of the Union

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all (actually I watched about 10 minutes and then shut it off - I read about it today).

It may be worth to see the rest of the story. [link plundered from greengrl]

I did watch the Democratic response in Spanish by Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. I think he did a very good job, much better than Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Daschle did in English.

[Speaking of politics and the Bush administration - there have been recent actions that are on par with those of fascist regimes.

First from the story:
The Office of Management and Budget wants to have the final say on releasing emergency declarations to the public.
By Andrew Schneider
Of the Post-Dispatch [copyright]2004, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
When the government starts deciding what we need to know and don't need to know, we are starting down a slippery slope.

Second example:
President Bush has announced his plan to select Dr. W. David Hager to head up the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. The committee has not met for more than two years, during which time its charter lapsed. As a result, the Bush Administration is tasked with filling all eleven positions with new members.

Here is a little about this gentleman:

Dr. Hager is a practicing OB/GYN who describes himself as "pro-life" and refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women. Hager is the author of "As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring omen Then and Now." The book blends biblical accounts of Christ healing women with case studies from Hager's practice. In the book Dr. Hager wrote with his wife, entitled "Stress and the Woman's Body," he suggests that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome should seek help from reading the bible and praying.

Hager's track record of using religious beliefs to guide his medical decision-making makes him a dangerous and inappropriate candidate to serve as chair of this committee. Critical drug public policy and research must not be held hostage by antiabortion politics. Members of this important panel should be appointed on the basis of science and medicine, rather than politics and religion. American women deserve no less. ]

Ok, enough for today.