Friday Musings

President Barack Obama yesterday gave what was expected to be a significant speech on the relationship between Americans and Muslims. Yet the way it sounded to me, it was little more than a variation on an old theme: if everybody plays nice, everybody will get along.

I don't disagree, of course. I will even go so far as to say that it is something which should be said every now and again as a healthy reminder of how things ought to be. The trouble is that they are not and will not likely ever be that way. So the test of the President's resolve will ultimately be how he reacts when (and notice, not if) the Middle East turns a deaf ear towards his words. He's established the ideal backdrop. Can he handle the situation when human nature gets in the way of the perfect?

I had to stop watching the Stanley Cup playoffs last night. The emotional roller coaster, as I've said too often, simply isn't worth the payoff of a potential win. But thanks, Bruce, for predicting the loss. It made the burden easier to bear.

I just finished a comparison survey of cereals on AOL. Has my life devolved into this for entertainment?

Why, no! It simply gives me the introduction I need for my next bit.

A California court has been forced to rule that the crunchberries in Captain Crunch cereal with Crunchberries are not real fruit. A woman brought suit against the company over the nonissue. That woman ought to be flogged along with the fruitcake who sued McDonalds because her coffee was hot. Her lawyer ought to be disbarred for such frivolous actions. Has the world gone mad or is it just me?

I'm not sure I phrased that quite right.