Free Frank Warner

Tsunami comes in like a wet blanket

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile has killed hundreds, if not thousands, there, but the warnings of giant tsunami waves throughout the Pacific turned out to be unfounded.

In Hawaii, Australia and other Pacific shores, the quake shock produced little more than a ripple. One to 3 feet. The tsunami killed no one.

Frank Warner

Video: Do good men exist?

Check out this thought-provoking video on how men are portrayed as disposable in our society, and how the average day's news reports tell us good men don't exist.

It's interesting that spell-check says there is no such word as "misandry."

Frank Warner

Hundreds of Iraqis in newly located mass graves

Many of Saddam Hussein's victims were murdered in 1988, in his campaign against the Kurds.

“Amanj, my 7 year old son, before taken away was very sick, I asked if I could go with him. They [soldiers] told me, do not worry we will put an end to his sickness, I know how they did it.”

Soon the newly discovered mass graves of Iraq will be fully uncovered.

And some fools wanted to keep Saddam in power.

Frank Warner

'You're so vain': Carly Simon was talking about David Geffen?

I thought Carly Simon was talking about Warren Beatty in the 1972 song "You're so Vain."

But now the target has been revealed as gay producer DAVID GEFFEN, at the time head of Carly's Elektra record label.

And rather than being angry about a failed relationship, Carly is thought to have resented the effort he put into promoting rival JONI MITCHELL.

She had some dreams. "They were clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee."

And her dreams weren't of love after all. Geez.

Frank Warner

N.Y. Gov. David Paterson won't seek full term

The Democratic Party's relentless drive to replace New York Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat himself, has been slightly mistifying.

Paterson became governor two years ago because a Democratic Party insider, Gov. Elliot Spitzer, was forced to resign two years ago over his wild spree with prostitutes. Paterson, who seems to have tried to protect his aide David W. Johnson from domestic violence charges, today announced he won't run for a full term because he allegedly asked the woman victim not to testify against Johnson.

Now all the usual New York Democratic insiders are lining up to take Paterson's job. And they've never used their influence to help a friend? It just seems odd that Paterson is singled out.

Frank Warner

Charlie Rangel 'admonished'

The House Ethics Committee has "admonished" Congressman Charlie Rangel for taking corporate-paid trips to the Caribbean, and the committee continues to investigate other aspects of Rangel's corruption.

Other members of Congress who took the illegal trips were "exonerated" because the congressmen investigating them want the leeway to continue taking the bribes.

Frank Warner

The sex addiction myth

I'll keep an open mind about this, but this idea of "sexual addiction" is dubious. If a married couple have sex every day, that's considered healthy. If a man has sex every day, but never with the same woman two days in a row, he is labeled a sick "sex addict."

Yes, that man with the many partners is having a problem with commitment, but to say he's addicted to sex seems to me like saying we're addicted to oxygen if we like to breathe in many places. A man who feels a need for relatively frequent sex isn't an addict; he probably has a high level of testosterone.

So is a naturally high level of testosterone an addiction? Is it a crime? Is is a sin? There's no evidence it's any of those things. Then again, our prison populations are disproportionately represented by those with testosterone, and almost certainly are over-represented by people with high testosterone. 

Frank Warner

The Missile Defense Agency's intriguing new logo

The Missile Defense Agency has come up with a new logo. Did we need this?

Already it's drawing complaints for looking too much like President Obama's campaign logo and too much like an Islamic crescent.

It seems a coincidence, but you be the judge.

Frank Warner

Every teacher in Central Falls is fired

All 74 teachers and 19 other educators in the Central Falls, Rhode Island, school district were fired two days ago because, the school board said, the low-performing district needs a "turnaround."

It seems like a harsh decision. The school administration wanted the teachers to spend more time with students and more time in teacher training, but the teachers union demanded a price the poor district cannot afford.

It's interesting that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan seems to back the firings.

Frank Warner

Obama prepares new health plan, hiking costs 'only' $250 billion

As he prepared for today's health-care summit with the Republicans, President Obama reportedly ordered a new health-care proposal, covering fewer people and adding "only" $250 billion in costs over 10 years.

The old proposals, extending health insurance to 30 million more Americans, would cost about $1,000,000,000,000 over 10 years. The new proposal would cover about 15 million people.

I still don't know why, when you're dealing with the most expensive health-care system in the world, the president and Congress can't think of some free-market devices that would expand health insurance without costing an extra penny.

Frank Warner