This is too good, an absolute must-post. Here is a fantastic CNN headline that is a perfect example of why I ask myself everyday "how did we elect Bush...twice??"

Bush shifts focus to Iraq

Really?? Okay. And where was your focus before, Mr. President? Other than your Texas ranch? Maybe these headlines below are the reason he finally decided to shift his focus over to take a look at Iraq. Granted, these headlines are a carbon copy of what we see in the papers every day, but as we all know, Bush doesn't read the papers (well, except the comics. That Beetle Bailey is a hoot).

26 killed in blast in army mess hall
5 US Marines killed in Iraq
Is worst yet to come in Iraq?
11 more killed in Iraq
30 killed in Iraq blasts

I guess, for some reason, people seem uneasy about the war. It might have something to do with the 1700 dead, but it is hard to be sure. So Bush is going to launch a PR campaign to ease all of our minds. He will explain that he does, in fact, have a strategery for getting us out of Iraq...at some point. I assume.

Too bad, too, because I was just starting to get into the whole "Social Security reform" thing. Too bad he had to notice Iraq.

In other news...

Growing deserts a "global concern"

Cats of the world send up a triumphant "meow!" The world is their litter box, and they shall return to their former glory. Bow down before Miss Whiskers, Queen of the Tabbies!

Need a Star Wars fix? How about a sit-com?

Toyota aims for $50,000 hydrogen-fueled car

Maybe not a good idea to release this info on the same day as a blimp crash. Might evoke the wrong sort of imagery.

There is a serious consequence to this though. People seem to think that hydrogen cell cars will be a solution to a growing environmental concern. After all, these cell emit only water as a by-product. Water! But what people often don't realize is that the hydrogen is not pulled out of some sort of hydrogen well. They have to make hydrogen, usually from electrically splitting water. And how do they get the electricity? A coal plant. We are just transferring our problem from one point to another in the guise of environmental concern. And not only is coal burning a terrible pollutant, coal is also a non-renewable resource. This is going to be a step forward.

Using nuclear power to generate the hydrogen cells would be a possibility, but nuclear power has a nasty stigma against it. Too many bad movies about people mutating (okay, great movies, bad side-effects). Then the by-products would be water, water, and barrels of nuclear waste. Rather than water, coal exhaust, and loss of resources. The first is more of a step forward than the last. But wait, why not get really progressive about it? How about establishing some solar and wind power generators for the express purpose of generating hydrogen cells? That would result in zero pollution and the loss of zero non-renewable resources. But what fun is that? To quote from Mother Jones, and independent news magazine:

John Heywood, director of MIT's Sloan Automotive Lab, says a system that extracts hydrogen from oil and natural gas and stores it in fuel cells would actually be no more energy efficient than America's present gasoline- based system.

"If the hydrogen does not come from renewable sources," Heywood says, "then it is simply not worth doing, environmentally or economically."

Under the current administration, more progressive methods of hydrogen generation will not be permitted. Bush has ensured that 90% of all hydrogen will be generated using fossil fuel and the other 10% with nuclear power. This administration has always been good to the fuel industry, and this is no exception. Oh, and he wants to call the the hydrogen cell cars "freedom cars." This will revive the old joke: Did you ever notice when you drop a freedom fry under the front seat of your freedom car that it lasts, like, forever? What are those things made of?

Of course, the real answer lies somewhere in the realm of "drive less." I was forced to drive to work today, and no matter where I looked, it was all single car drivers. And people wonder why traffic is so bad on the expressways. The Wife and I were talking on our way up about ways to get people to carpool. Apparently, the savings in gas isn't incentive enough...people love their cars. The best I could come up with was a tax break for carpooling and to maybe try to enforce it through the workplace. Otherwise, I really don't know how one would prove that they carpooled.

I certainly don't have all the answers. I do know that the hydrogen cell issue is an insideous one, because it is being marketed as the solution to all of our problems. When I think about this, one thought comes to mind:

only 3 more years...only 3 more years...only 3 more years...