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Murphy Martin Commentary
December 15, 2005

 "Unfinished Business"

As 2005 races to its end there seems to be an inordinate amount of unfinished business waiting to be solved. The press seems to focus on questions about most of those unfinished items.

Within hours after a man was shot and killed in a jet-way at Chicago's Midway Airport , the Federal air-marshal who had ordered the passenger to halt was being questioned by some. Did the fleeing man running up the aisle of the plane shouting that he had a bomb in the bag he was carrying, should his move toward reaching for the bag been ignored? Should the air-marshal have ignored his training and waited to see what the man was going to pull out of that bag? The Air-marshal did as he was trained and for the first time since 9/11 a passenger was killed. His wife reportedly said her husband was bi-polar and had not taken his medicine. The air-marshal couldn't know that. He did his job. An investigation will continue into the new year.

In Baghdad, Saddam Hussein continues to claim he is mistreated and told the presiding judge at his murder trial to "go to hell". Hussein claimed he was not allowed to shower and shave and was not returning to court, During these Hussein outbursts, where former U-S Attorney General Ramsey Clark is among Hussein's defense team, testimony from shielded witnesses spewed forth the sad tales of torture and sexual humiliation and murder ordered by Hussein. More than 140 died in retaliation for an alleged attempt on Hussein's life in Dujail in l982. This trial will carry well into the new year. It will be interesting to see how long the presiding judge will allow Hussein's outbursts in the court-room without taking action against him.

Speaking of Iraq, President Bush's acceptance numbers have climbed back above 40 per-cent. Could the Democrat's failure to get on the same page re Iraq be a contributing factor, or, have the American people begun to believe the President when he says America will never "cut and run" from the terrorists while he is president? How will the elections this week in Iraq effect those numbers? More definitive answers will come in the new year.

Domestic issues still unresolved include increased costs of healthcare, particularly for the elderly. How soon can Medicare's new drug plans be in enough hands to help and will they just end up being a band-aid to a problem that is not soon going away?

Education, economy, leaky borders into America that allow people from anywhere in the world to enter untouched to set up shop in this land of the free and home of the brave and anybody else that wants to move in. These are still unanswered as we await 2005.

Of course politics are at the center of most every problem remaining unsolved plus the party out of power is after the party that is in power and we can expect to see more and more attention in this arena in the months ahead. Already, such familiar names as Kerry and Dean and McCain and Lieberman and Clinton and Giuliani are beginning to seek more exposure. Even Mr. Gore looks to have lost a few pounds and is in front of the camera a bit more.

Yes, Old St. Nick has not yet made his rounds and we have some fun days to look forward to the next two weeks. But there is much unfinished business to be addressed throughout this world and I do hope that you will join me in a New Year's Resolution that we will earnestly try to be a part of those who try to solve those problems in 2006.

Merry Christmas to all!!!
 

Murphy Martin

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Previous commentaries:
"Merry Christmas Rules"
"Bush Unveils Plans"
"Border Security Now!!!"
"Stupidity Loses Financing"
"Crisis Christians"
"They Led the Way"
"Sadistic Saddam Hussein"
"Bourbon Street Bashing"
"Hurricane Aftermath"
"Standing Tall"
"Never a Dull Moment"
"Another Hero Laid to Rest"
"Blame Game"
"Senior Thoughts For the Young"
"Role Model Challenge"
August 18 - "Network News Anchors"
August 11 - "Now All Three Are Gone"
August 4 - "Trust in the Media"
July 28 - "Television Then and Now"
July 21 -  "The Mick"
July 14 - "Forty Years and Counting"