Whose fault will some see this to be?

Sadly, the four US citizens aboard the yacht taken by Somali pirates were killed by their captors at some point during the negotiations for their release.

There is no doubt about it, this is tragic. These people did no one any harm and were simply doing what their faith moved them to do.

Faith is a funny thing; it's usually difficult to prove, but I would argue these four self-made missionaries proved theirs absolutely in no uncertain terms. I'm not a Christian, but I respect a sincere search for truth, and I'm sad for their families and and their friends and that's the truth.

But another truth is this: these people were murdered by Somali pirates. No one else did this. No one else is responsible. No one else is at fault.

All of this said, however, this tragedy will be spun, somehow and by some, as the fault of the Obama administration, if even only tangentially, it will be nevertheless their fault, their shortcoming.

Wait and see, and mark my words.

Among the evangelical far-right fringe (a base well represented by Fox News), this episode will be spun as a lack of leadership, that had Obama truly been a Christian (and not a closeted Muslim as "everyone knows" him to be), he never would have allowed this to happen; as if his long presidential arms could somehow reach to the East African coast and pluck these people away from their boat, away from harm, away from what will inevitably be viewed as their martyrdom.

Make no mistake: this is tragic.

And again, I'm sad for their families and their friends, but what's more tragic is that supposedly Christian people will sadly use it to their own un-Christian ends.

Mubarek's post-departure plans change...

Upon announcing that he would step down after 30 years of repressing his own people, Egypt's Hosni Mubarek told the press he planned to travel to the USA as soon as practical in order to give a big wet kiss to Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh for supporting his regime by trying to convince their listeners that Mubarek's staying in power was a good thing for Egypt, for the US, for Fox News, and for the world.

Mr. Mubarek said through an interpreter that he wanted to, "Give a big shout out and props to his new BFFs on the rockin' Republican right," and to visit the US banks where he's squirreled away millions during his rule. "Then I might go to Disneyland," he said.

Upon hearing of Mubarek's plans, Beck said, "I fear for what's to come... place a new world order to buy gold now," and then began to cry into a gilded towel; Palin said through an interpreter that she wants "Anyone from the Obama administration to call me in Alaska and tell me who will now be in power in... in... what country was that again? I wrote it on my hand but it wore off"; on his radio show Hannity screamed, "Muslim Brotherhood, RAWK! Muslim Brotherhood, RAWK!" and Limbaugh said, "This sucks because I've been practicing mockingly rude imitations of an Egyptian accent for a week."

With friends like these, Mr. Mubarek is indeed a lucky, lucky man.

Life imitates art... er... commercials...

Is it just me, or has anyone else who regularly watches the Golf Channel noticed that almost every advertisement is for Cialis, the erectile dysfunction (ED) drug.

These ads used to involve couples sitting in separate bath tubs. (Nope... I have no idea either.) But lately, they're a collection of scenarios involving some couple busy doing some thing --- eating breakfast, working in the yard, painting a wall, hiking on a trail --- when suddenly they're both overtaken by a rampant urge to rut.

Then, as they begin smiling suggestively at one another, readying themselves for pleasures to come, the buildings and land around them mechanically transform into what, Sexworld?

Now, I had thought these ED ads were just bizarre, simply goofy, but an insidious undertone is emerging that makes me realize advertisers just might be smarter than we give them credit for being.

Think about it.

The Golf Channel airs all things golf, and golfers are an odd lot whose jargon is replete with innuendo.

From balls, to shafts, to stroke play, to "getting it into the hole," to "nutting" shots, to spectators shouting "In the hole!" to "getting it up and down," to "knocking it stiff," golfers talk it, and all those ED ads suggest golfers must walk it as well.

But although the underlying message here might address the overarching question of "Wanna get laid?" with the answer "Just play golf," it might instead be that all this shaft-and-balls talk is pure cover for the real problem: that knocking it stiff is only possible with some help.