When I first saw that Tiger Woods had been in a car accident, I thought, how great, he's just an idiot like one of us. After all, he was just fine, his ego likely hurt more than his body.

With a couple of exceptions, I've been gone from dagblog for several months. I've rarely posted. I've barely commented. Heck, I've even stopped visiting the site on a regular basis.

I have a number of legitimate excuses - and some not-so legitimate excuses - for my time away. I did a lot of wedding planning. I picked up online poker again. I broke a wrist. I got married and had a minimoon. I fell behind work at my paying day job. Fantasy football started.

The Bishop of Rhode Island has told Congressman Patrick Kennedy not to take Communion at Mass any more. They are now publicly feuding about whether or not the bishop ordered his priests not to give it to him.

Sarah Palin may be very unpopular by any traditional polling standard. However, pundits are eager to explain that the important thing isn't how many people like her, but rather the intensity of her followers' enthusiasm for her. Sure, she may poll like Herbert Hoover in 1932, but the thirty-to-forty percent of the country that approves of her includes a hard core of fanatical support. That intensity, we are repeatedly assured, will give her political power, no matter how many people oppose her.

In a move that surprised only David Gregory, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that members of his party will work to filibuster Election Day 2010. Said McConnell, "the people have made it clear to us that they don't want to make their voices heard through government-sponsored voting booths funded by taxpayers. It's just one more step down the road to socialism."

In yesterday's NYT, NASA-affiliated scientist William S. Marshall, wondered why no one seems to care about NASA's discovery of water on the moon.

Almost as surprising as NASA’s announcement is the lack of attention it has received. Thirty years ago, a development like this would have been heralded as one of humanity’s greatest discoveries.

Godwink’s Law

“As a political discussion involving God gets more media coverage, the probability of Sarah Palin making herself part of the story approaches 1.”

Example: Sarah Palin made a statement defending Miss California: “The liberal onslaught of malicious attacks against Carrie Prejean for expressing her opinion is despicable. Carrie and I spoke soon after the attacks started; I can relate as a liberal target myself. ”

Friday, November 20, 2009. 145 evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed the "Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience," in which they declared their shared opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Though only hours old, the declaration has already been declared "historic" by those whose job it is to designate historic declarations.

I told myself I wasn't going to write about politics anymore. I'm so thoroughly disgusted by the dysfunction rampant in our political system that considering it only makes me angry and depressed. And I really wish I didn't care anymore.

But, never let it be said that I don't at least try to finish what I started. At the very end of last year and the beginning of this one, I was somewhat critical of Roland Burris for acception the appointment of allegedly corrupt Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to President Obama's former Senate seat.

[Author’s Note: This was originally posted on this site on Jan. 8, 2008. But with my wife, Emilia, out of town and me deep in the throes of missing her (Don’t let her know that, tho) I thought it would be a good time for a re-post]

I try not to mention my wife, Emilia, in my work because, well, I don’t know why. She sure as hell talks about me at her work. She has several bits down pat about the adventures of the silly American in a strange land.