Let's Count Our Blessings

The world is full of trouble, it would seem.

Libya is a free fire zone, with a gonzo maniac leading one side. This could end badly.

Oman is the latest Arab nation to succumb to unrest. The insurgency spreads.

Wisconsin is deadlocked over labor union rights in what has become the political confrontation of the year. Unfortunately, the management side of the dispute is run by a governor who didn't notice that a blogger from Buffalo isn't one of his biggest political contributors. So he probably won't be smart enough to see a good compromise that's right in front of him. He's now threatening numerous layoffs of state employees. The demonstrations in Madison echo the antiwar protests of the Vietnam era. Governor Walker echoes the American officer in Vietnam who reportedly said, "it became necessary to destroy the town to save it."

China is slowing its economy in an effort to control accelerating inflation and the potential for political unrest. This would take away one of the few sources of growth in the world economy.

But things really aren't that bad. Let's count our blessings.

Charlie Sheen tells us he has Adonis DNA. We should be grateful a living deity would share his divine talents on the small screen, at least until those unbelievers at CBS canceled his show.

Bernie Madoff tells New York Magazine that he's a good person. And to think we held such negative views of him. Although broke and in prison, Bernie still has a wealth of shamelessness DNA.

Speaking of shamelessness DNA, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, recently criticized Arab leaders for their oppressive response to political protests. Even in a house of mirrors, this guy would manage not to see himself.