More Random Thoughts

Sotomayor Confirmation:

Judge Sotomayor is a shoo-in to be confirmed, but a lot of liberals are a little bummed by the confirmation hearings. Much of Judge Sotomayor's time was spent giving a barely credible spin on her "Wise Latina" remarks. If you believe her testimony, she will rule from the bench based only on the law, not due to empathy.

The bottom line is that liberals always have to hide the fact that they are liberal, because the majority of the American people don't agree with the precepts of the current "progressive movement".

Obama's Popularity Drop:

Recent polls have shown that the luster may be wearing off the President. His 55% approval ranking is only 10th out of the 12 post WWII presidents at the same time in their presidencies. As I noted above, the majority of Americans do not support the massive government programs that Obama and the Democrats in Congress are trying to pass. Had Obama campaigned on a platform claiming he would take over GM and Chrysler, effectively nationalize the banking industry, and give us massive programs which can only be funded by taxes on people he claimed would be exempt, John McCain would be President.

Mr. Obama's popularity will rebound as the US emerges from recession, but I think Americans realize that the change they got was not exactly the change they voted for.

Tom Watson's Open Run:

Tom Watson thrilled all of us old guys with his great run at the British Open title. For 71 1/2 holes, he was amazing. Just about everybody in the world was rooting for him to pull it off. Unfortunately, his par put on the last hole had to be one of the worst chokes ever at a big moment. The putt never had a chance. Watson never contended in the playoff.

Meanwhile, I have to give credit to the winner, Stewart Cink. The only people rooting for Cink were his wife and kids. Talk about being the skunk at the picnic! He handled it with grace, though.

So did Watson. The disappointment had to be monumental, but he acted the gentleman at all times. It just goes to show, the sports gods are cruel.

Apollo 11:

Last, but far from least, yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

Like so many others my age, I vividly remember being with my family around the TV watching as Armstrong said "Houston, Tranquillity Base, the Eagle has landed". Walter Cronkite and Wally Schirra wiped away tears of excitement, as did we all.

What we did not know was that America probably peaked that day. Forty years later, the US is still a powerful country, but the American Century appears to be over. We are facing the "Europeanization" of America. To me, that equals emasculation.

The America that went to the moon was the "can do" America that knew no limits. It was an America that understood that there were winners and losers. Somehow in the last forty years we have become decadent. We no longer value achievement; we strive for equality. But the equality of result that is the modern American's goal, bears no resemblance to the equality of opportunity that led to striving to better oneself.

I hope it is not too late for Americans to recapture the spirit that lead us to the moon.