WonderfulPessimist.com

The Associated Press is reporting, despite conflicting sources, that bloodthirsty former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could be dead as early as Sunday, just in time to keep the brutal sponsor of terror from seeing any part of 2007. Happy New Year, indeed!

If Saddam is dead by Sunday, it could mean that 2007 will mark the real, literal beginning of a post-Saddam Iraq, which will certainly be good news for the Iraqi people. Sure, there are threats of increased violence, but since when hasn’t that been the case? Iraq’s government is solidifying and increasingly taking the lead in military action, as well as the brunt of the casualties, with American playing less of a frontline and more of a supportive role as each week goes by.

Bottom line: we’re winning, and not because the Dems won in November. Take that, Al Franken!

If 2007 marks the beginning of a Saddam-free Iraq, it would be on par with VE Day and the beginning of a Hitler-free Europe. It’s times like this that the present looks a little less grim and you want to get away from it all. Maybe hop on down to Outer Banks North Carolina and take in some of that great coastal atmosphere. Or maybe the cold of winter is starting to get to me… I don’t know.

Although Human Rights Watch and other “keep evil folks alive and let the innocent die at their hands” groups are sure to be annoyed, an Iraqi appeals court ruled this week that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s conviction and death sentence were legitimate, and he must be executed within the next 30 days.

It’s a move that is certain to drive Hussein’s fellow Sunnis, as well as al-Qaeda, France and Democrats into fits of rage. After all, didn’t the Dems and their supporters win last November? Doesn’t that mean all terrorists get to go free?

With folks like John Kerry going as far as saying that Iraq would have been better off if the US had never invaded and left Saddam in control, it seems at least the Iraqi courts disagree. They feel their country will be better off with the former brutal dictator assuming room temperature. Imagine that.

The hot topic right now is whether his execution should be televised. The left-wing media types (and what other types are there?) say no, even though most won’t hesitate to take advantage, at least to some degree, when Muslim terror groups execute someone like Daniel Pearl and broadcast that.

Personally, I think each country should decide for itself, and as long as Iraq is cool with it, I wouldn’t mind if Saddam’s execution were televised. However, in the US, I do think it would be better if it were not televised over public airwaves on free TV.

A better approach, to make sure that only those who want to see Saddam put down will see it, is to make it available as a pay-per-view event, perhaps through C-SPAN or CourtTV. Now, I’m not talking about charging a huge fee for it. A modest $4.99 or $9.99 would be appropriate, with proceeds going to Iraqi children’s charities. And the event should be made available free of charge to all Terror War veteran military families.

It’s a controversial proposal, I know, but it guarantees that those who want to see it can, and those who don’t want to see it because of their children or whatnot, won’t accidentally be exposed while flipping through channels.

Forget all the ridiculous Democratic claims that there was no connection between 9-11 and Saddam. Even if there wasn’t a 100-percent direct tie, Saddam did sponsor terrorist groups and was a legitimate target in the War on Terror.

What a nice way to start off 2007! Sure, death is grim, but the death of someone who caused so much human suffering over the last 30 or so years as did Saddam? Weeping for him is like weeping for Mao or Hitler or Mussolini or Stalin.

In fact, it may become a bit of a moment for printable greeting cards. Although Ramadan, Hanukkah, and Christmas are past, we’re in the middle of Kwanza with New Year’s Eve bearing down on us. Adding in a greeting card event for the execution of a brutal dictator might seem crass, but I think at least some military families would agree. Whether a “Happy Execution of Saddam” day card is your cup of tea or not, printable online greeting cards are still a solid idea for other special occasions.

Gerald Ford is dead at the age of 93. I was a bit too young to remember much about Nixon or Watergate, and a bit too young to remember much about Ford, other than his bid to win legitimate election against Jimmy Carter.

My first clear memories, politically, are of Carter’s victory because I remember a Donny and Marie Show sketch making fun of the “peanut farmer from Georgia.” Given former President Carter’s recent antisemitic book on the Middle East, maybe he should have stayed down on the farm.

Anyway, the clearest memories I have of Gerald Ford are not of him, but of Chevy Chase pretending to be him, falling down on nearly every opening sketch of the first season of Saturday Night Live. That’s a shame.

Although Gerald Ford was never elected, he became the man who held the office who went on to live to the oldest age. Not sure what that’s worth. But I do know that, other than the presidential pardon, he is largely credited with bringing some respectability back to the GOP immediately after Nixon left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

My understanding is that Ford was a Rockefeller-style Republican, what in today’s parlance we would call a RINO - a Republican In Name Only. Be that as it may, I think I probably missed some of the greatness of the man, given the era in which I was born.

While the passing of Gerald Ford in no way matches the sadness I felt at the passing of Ronald Reagan, I do think his gentleness and integrity in the wake of roughness and corruption are a good reason to take a moment and remember him, before moving on with our daily lives.

Bye, President Ford. Hope you’ve been elected to a house in heaven!

I hate John Denver for the most part. Not him, but his music. Moreso when I was younger. But cold days like today are the type his songs were made for. “Almost heaven, West Virgina. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.”

My dad always talked about his time in the Blue Ridge Mountain area during his basic training, prior to his trip overseas in World War II. I’ve never been there, but I plan to visit someday with my wife.

I got to surfing and looked up some Blue Ridge real estate properties, and from the photos it really does look beautiful there. Maybe in a few years, my wife and I can save enough aside for the big move. We need to eventually, for her health.

I was sitting here thinking about electronics and warranties. No one wants to buy the insurance plans that protect high-tech electronics, but when a computer or a cell phone or an iPod crash, how many people can honestly say they know the first thing about circuit board repair? Certainly not me.

What made it clear to me was a few years ago. I’d just moved to Wisconsin and my HP went down. Hard drive, in that case, but it could’ve been anything. Fortunately, I was still under warranty. Bust Buy repair guy drove up to me, swapped out the drive - provided an even bigger one at no extra cost, actually - and was on his way.

I kinda envy these tech types. Bet they make better money than I do selling cell phones. But, heh, that doesn’t set the bar very high, does it?

With temps dropping and snow on the way, it’s about times like these that I start wishing my wife and I could move further south, where the winters would be easier on her asthma. Not to mention our heating bill.

That’s when I start daydreaming about buying a house somewhere where a person doesn’t get buried under several feet of annual snowfall every winter, where the heater can go out in your car and you don’t have to fret. That’s when I start surfing casually, daydreaming about places like Cary NC Real Estate.

I bet the Raleigh area, which Cary is near, is a whole lot warmer than we are in Minnesota right now. *sigh*

Well, we’ve avoided it longer than any winter in recent memory, but forecasts are for snow by Christmas here in Minnesota. I know, I know, I live here, I should expect it and be used to it by now.

Trouble is, this winter, I’m driving in a less reliable car than I’ve owned in a long, long time. The tires are way too tread-worn, the engine’s old and the car doors don’t even lock. (Well, half of them do, but what good is that?) Heck, even the heater doesn’t work!

I’ve been thinking the best way to handle the situation is to start being smart and stocking my car with emergency kits, in case the worst happens. I think blankets, candles, matches, some non-perishable food and maybe even some bottled water would be a good start.

One of the many things that are messed up, moreso in California than anywhere else, are how child support cases are handled in that state. Was listening to the radio today and a guy called in to a talk show and shared his story.

Seems an ex-girlfriend of his, who he’d never slept with, got knocked up by another guy she had a one-nighter with. Not knowing that guy’s name, she put his in as the father and he was sued by California for child support. Noticed arrived to him late and he missed the court date, resulting in summary judgment against him for full child support.

Thy guy got the ex to recant, but the state won’t reverse the judgment because even though he’s not the dad - even the ex admits that now - the state would rather stick him with the bill than take the burden back on the state.

Missing a court date is a bugger, but at least now there are DNA testing services available that could’ve helped him prove he wasn’t the parent when falsely accused like that. The prices are lower than I expected, meaning that you don’t need to be a CEO to prove whether you’re a parent or not.

Normally, I’d say practicing some premarital self-control would prevent situations like this. That’s why this story caught my attention. This guy remained celibate with this gal and he’s still stuck with paying child support. Yikes!