President Obama awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace

It is obvious to me that, no matter what President Obama does or says about this award, he will be the subject of both crass speculation by the left and harsh criticism, verging on lunatic obsession, from the right. The Nobel committee awarded the prize. It's over, let's move on. (Rush, take a pill...)

As to my personal take on this, I have to remember the place we Americans occupied in the court of international public opinion when President Obama was elected. Since that was just nine months ago, it is less difficult than recalling my last tire purchase, say, but only slightly less. The world, for the most part, LOATHED us. Not only were we the great satan, but we were the non-communicators, the uni-laterists to end all uni-lateralists, and the root cause of an impending world economic collapse. In short, most people didn't like us, didn't respect us, and didn't trust us. But, they were afraid of us. It was so bad in fact, that many U.S. citizens who, mostly out of necessity, were travelling abroad, identified themselves as Canadians...

President Obama (and notable members of his administration) have begun to change all of that. He has reached out to Muslims and the middle east, indeed to the entire world; he has, with help, arrested the economic downfall, and he has begun to deliver on his campaign promises to end discrimination in its seemingly innumerable forms. The fact that he has not done so with the speed that most liberals would like, is due more I think, to the unrealistic expectations of the "I want it now generations," rather than to lack of effort on the part of the administration.

So, the Nobel committee, responding to the feeling of hope and optimism that the global community outside of Washington and the U.S. is now feeling, awarded the prize to Obama, because he affords great promise. I, for one, am completely OK with this. If the president fails to achieve anything and leaves office in three years with a lackluster legacy, then everyone can (and most certainly will) criticize this award and everything else about the man and his presidency.

However, notwithstanding the historic nature of his election in terms of it's effect on the equality of races in this country and in the world today, I think it highly unlikely that he will fail. Rather, I believe that he will not only justify the confidence of the Nobel committee, but will strive and succeed in making this a better world in which to live. A place where we (the Americans again) are respected, trusted and even admired. A place where, even with all of our "foibles," humans can really get to work on living together in peace.

As legacies go, that ain't bad.

Fed to ban texting while driving, or "honk if you love jesus, text if you want to meet him..."

 (well...DUH!)   Ray H. LaHood, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, announced the ban Thursday, October 1,  at a conference in Washington (DC) that included 300 academics, law enforcement officials, legislators, telecommunications and automobile industry representatives, as well as families of people killed by motorists who were talking on cellphones or text messaging.

    "This meeting is probably the most important meeting in the history of the Department of Transportation," Mr. LaHood said at the end of the two-day conference. He added, "this...sends a very clear signal to the American public that distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable."

    The order took effect immediately and involves 4.5 million federal employees, including military personnel.

    OK and, just like the current health care proposal, this order both misses the point and at the same time highlights the pervasive power of special interests in government. The real issue is distracted driving in all of its forms, from talking on cellphones to eating cheesburgers and applying makeup.

    Perhaps we need a return to those defensive driving courses I took in high school, where the grisley photos of wrecks and the admonitions of celebrities to "think before you act," certainly had a chilling albeit brief effect on my driving. We certainly need more than a ban on texting, although, it is a good start (if it is actually enforced and especially if it proliferates to the rest of us).

    But, it probably won't. It won't be enforced because states haven't adopted it and state and local police don't enforce federal policy. It won't proliferate for the same reason the CDC predicts that 40-60% of people who should take the swine flu vaccine won't do it. It's inconvenient. Finally, it won't because the only people who are really distracted by all of the things we do when we should be concentrating on traffic and road conditions, are other people, not us.