Quick Hits

The holiday season has played around with my blogging, so let me make up for it with this edition of Quick Hits.

- The most surreal moment I've had in a long time occurred when a 9/11 Truther Kook quoting a discredited conspiracy theorist about the war in Iraq told me that Wikipedia isn't a credible source of information. I bear no responsibility for lost productivity from laughing at the absurdity or from your head exploding.

- The Senate version of the health care reform bill passed last week to a lot of fanfare and cheering among Democrats. Yet, what was missed in all of this is the fact that Democrats spent from 1994 until 2009 not doing anything about health care reform. Sure, the Republicans didn't take action on it when they were in power, but it wasn't really an issue they were passionate about. Who was? The Democrats. And don't give me the line about "Democrats didn't have the votes to pass it." What stopped them from drafting a compromise bill that would get Republican votes? Sorry, but the more you point fingers at the Republicans on health care reform, the more I'll be pointing right back asking you why you sat on the issue you now consider so important.

- The recent terrorist attacks in this country should be a wake-up call for us all, especially in that we haven't learned anything from 9/11. Something tells me we'll be asleep again before we know it.

- President Obama pretty much came back with nothing from his second trip to Copenhagen this year. The great deal he struck with some of the developing nations...well, it seems China isn't committing to it, which leaves the door open for other countries involved in this deal to bow out as well. Quite telling that someone of Obama's alleged international appeal could come away empty-handed on such an issue. Then again, he should be used to disappointment in Copenhagen after the 2016 Olympics debacle.

- Lately, it seems more and more people are getting over their Obamamania hangover and starting to be critical of the man they helped get elected. I hate to say I told you so, but, well...I kinda did.

- The recent clashes in Iran between government forces and protesters critical of the government should be major news because of their implications to the world. If the protesters win, we could see a stable Iran in our lifetimes, one that rejects the rantings of Imadinnerjacket and the imams and embraces freedom for all Iranians. If the government forces win, we're stuck with Iran in its current state, and that makes it dangerous. Although we're wrapped up with stories about Tiger Woods or the impending season of "American Idol," let's not neglect a major story that could mean a safer world for us all.

And finally...

- As we move into 2010, a lot of people are already compiling lists encompassing the past decade. I won't do that here, but I will make one comment about this decade not yet over. It was a decade of missed opportunities and disappointment occasionally sprinkled with moments of sheer brilliance and hope for the future. Let's try to get it better next decade, okay?