A tangent of topics

I wonder what the collective noun is for the word "topics"? Not a flock or bevy? I favor alliterative made-up venery terms, myself. Thus we have a tangent of topics, as I often relate them there topics, um, tangentially.

Per my blog almost a month ago, the Bush administration has requested an obscene sum of money ($189 billion) for the Iraq war 2008 budget. Secretary of Defense Gates proposed the budget to Congress today. With no hint of irony, the Reuters story I read states, "In asking for the money, Gates said he was aware of the controversy surrounding the unpopular war." Well, there's good news. The Bush administration is actually paying attention to the American people. Not that it will make a whit of difference to what the Bushies actually do about the war, of course.

There are many things that our government has done over the years that I have not agreed with. None of made me angrier than this war. From the beginning, this war has been based on lies. Just today, yet another Downing Street-type revelation makes it clear that Bush planned to go to war with Iraq no matter what happened with the UN support of any invasion. I could go on and on, listing lie after lie, but I won't. Not enough time or space.

Suffice it to say that Bush has demonstrated repeated throughout his years in the White House that the truth is utterly unimportant. Facts are irrelevant and only to be used in twisted ways to support forgone conclusions. He will say whatever is expedient in the moment to achieve his goals. If it will help him avoid paying for health care for children, he'll say that families with incomes of $80,000 are among those who will benefit from such health care. Even though it's not true.

If Bush wanted to throw around some truth, he could start with these statistics: The money spent on one day of the Iraq war could buy homes for almost 6,500 families or healthcare for 423,529 children.

Can't believe that there were 24 Republicans that actually voted against the health care bill for children in the House. Health care, the war, the state of education in our country--it all makes me sick. And somewhat speechless, I guess.

Speaking of sick, it doesn't make me sick that the world Anglican community has reined in the US Episcopalians in the area of gay acceptance in the faith community. It makes me sad. It is beyond me to view this as a Christ-like response.

And what would Jesus do about his Mozambique servant and head of its Catholic Church, Maputo Archbishop Francisco Chimoio, who is currently claiming that some condoms made in Europe are deliberately infected with the AIDS virus? Probably not any more nuts as the Catholic church proper being opposed to the use of condoms in this day and age of AIDS and STDs.

But craziest of all stories today? Most shocking? No contest. That would be the Cubs in the race to win the pennant. :-)

Liz