Notes and Comments

I was hardly the only person caught up in the frenzy after Sarah Palin attacked Barack Obama for his plan to institute "Death Panels" in his proposed health care legislation. Even she backed off the claim, sort of, by a subsequent Facebook column asking for civility in the debate. I bet those who believe the death panel calumny are not willing to let it go so easily. My Facebook comment suggested that to use horrific lies about a President trying to kill your kids and parents to instigate hatred toward said President was tantamount to treason. Keith Olbermann followed up with a 14-minute rant last night targeting Sarah and her weird compatriots that expanded on my thoughts. His commentary was, as usual, pompous, long-winded, sanctimonious, and largely correct.

I wonder how often in Sarah's future the "Death Panel" fantasy will be played side-by-side with her quitting-Allaska valedictory demanding that the press "stop making things up."

Although the town-hall disruptions have been obnoxious and counterproductive in many ways, it is also fair to say that in the past, liberal and radical-leaning demonstrations have been just as loud and strident. Tea Bag apologists suggest this, and it is a valid point. Protest itself is a genuinely American privilege. But the difference between the two types of protests is that leftists tend to rage against war, poverty and injustice, while the Health Care zanies are screaming against what is essentially a very benign piece of legislation aimed at improving the lives of all Americans. The only beneficiaries of the potential failure of the health-care bill are the Insurance industry (and any stockholders of such), as well as any Republicans who seek political advantage next year thanks to a failure of an Obama initiative, as happened in 1994 after Hillary-care flopped.

You know, I don't ever want to travel in a helicopter, especially a tourist helicopter. They are about as prone to danger as buses who plunge regularly down rocky Indian slopes. I cringe when I see helicopters daring the narrow regions between the cascades of the Grand Canyon. as for the sad event recently in New York, I wish the doomed Italian tourists had tried the Circle Line cruise instead. As for the pair of tourists who decided not to take the helicopter flight and are basking in their luck, I suggest that if they had boarded the helicopter, there probably would not have been a crash, since their added weight may have altered the course of the helicopter or changed its timing somewhat. So the real tragedy is that they did not board. But unlike in "Star Trek" films, we cannot read alternative time lines. If only...

And for you, Terry, my take on the Red Sox-Yankees. It's almost axiomatic that Boston buries the Yanks in April, and New York smothers the Sox in August. This year their confrontations have run in the extremes. In the end, though, I suspect that Boston will catch up again or make it very close. The Yanks have a much tougher final two weeks than Boston, and their schedule includes four final games at Tampa, which ought to make for some extraordinary baseball drama, since the Rays are still a strong team just beginning their play-off push.

The Sox have faltered largely because of egregious injuries, especially to their starting staff, while the Yanks have only lost one solid pitcher (Wang) and replaced him with two top-line aces. Sabathia and Burnett match up very well against Beckett and Lester, and the Yanks' Chamberlain and Pettitte are definitely stronger than Boston's Penny and Buchholz. Otherwise the two teams are pretty equal. Another plus for the Yanks this year is their vastly improved defense, especially on the right side of the infield. I predict Mark Texeira will be the Al MVP, and a very deserving one.

And how about that David Ortiz "mea minima culpa" response to being outed in that 2003 Steroid probe. It's lovely that it punctures the illusions of infallibility held by the Red Sox Nation, but also underscores the fact that practically EVERYONE was doing it. In the end, are the arbiters of Cooperstown really going to keep Manny Ramirez, Arod, Clemens and even Barry Bonds out of the Hall? Who will they have left? Coco Crisp?