Just Can't Get Enough.

And here are the stories that I just couldn't seem to get enough of in 2006. While they might not be as sexy as Mel or Nicole or JonBenet or OJ they are more interesting and nearly as urgent:


National Security. Far less than ten-percent of the cargo containers that enter our country are checked for weapons or other items that are dangerous. Would you spend an extra dollar on that iPod to make sure it’s not an explosive? I would. Not a single recommendation from the 9/11 Commission has been implemented. Let's hope Nancy Pelosi and company play catch up. And fast.


Columbine Copycats. I’m not fit enough to adopt a child in most states, but good grief kids will do anything to get grown-ups to listen to them.

Retired Generals & The War & The Casualties. OK, I’m not fit to serve in the military but when this many several-star generals get together and have something to say, I think we should listen. And when so many people are dying and even more are coming home without limbs, I think we need to spend more time thinking about the war and talking about solutions.



New Orleans. You remember Katrina? This man-made disaster is still making life hard in the big easy. But then again, once the President did that news conference, he showed everyone that life was back to normal. Well, except for the trash, the trailers, the lack of utilities, and the fact that less than half of the population has returned. I’m proud of John Edwards to announce his presidential campaign from this fine city—just to make sure we don’t forget about what we let happen.



One word: Darfur.


















The Dishonesty of W. I have a colleague that uses the saying “making stuff up” or simply MSU’ing. W lives by MSU’ing. Terror alerts and blue ribbon advisory committees he does not listen to. And even though his approval ratings are lower than minimum wage, people just don’t seem outraged. And how is it that people can drive around with those damn “W” bumper stickers?










HIV & Meth. People are having lots and lots of unprotected sex. Young people. Not-so-young people. What is the big deal about talking about condoms? It is a fact of nature that kids will have sex- why not be sure they are educated? And more and more of them are high on meth. What happened to the war on drugs? Instead of buying terrorism preparation supplies on the mid-west we should be prepping law enforcement and local ERs for the rising epidemic of Meth.


Minimum Wage, Homelessness, & Starvation. Again, if it’s not happening to us, why is it that we don’t worry about it? Read “The Working Poor” to get an entirely new perspective on the people who greet you at the store and sell you services over the phone.

Health care. Everyday in the US more than 50 million people wake up without health care. And we are doing nothing about this crisis. Social Security is a building crisis- health care is a right now crisis. It’s like the old saying: when your neighbor gets a pick slip, it’s a recession—when you get a pick slip it’s a depression. We’re getting to that point with health care.



Global Warming. Al Gore is my hero. Thanks to the republican controlled media, the amazing film “An Inconvenient Truth” did not get even one-quarter of the coverage of that fictional work “The Passion of the Christ” by that guy who does not like Jews. Everyone needs to buy some CFLs. And follow Jan and Melanie’s lead to switch to solar power.


What are the stories you can't forget about? How can we make a difference in 2007?