David Shuster calls for more American dollars (our initial pledge is $35 million) to help those flattened by the Tsunami:

But, the initial American government response to this disaster feels awfully empty. For all of you sports fans, imagine if you were watching a slugger like Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, or Babe Ruth at the beginning of a World Series. That first at bat is dramatic and highly anticipated, because after all, this is the league’s “Home run king.” And what do you see?  The slugger lays down a bunt.  Sure it’s a contribution, maybe even a sacrifice.  But it would be disappointing and strange just the same…

Besides, to put the 35 million dollars in context, consider this: To “help” the citizens of Iraq, our government is spending 5.8 BILLION dollars each MONTH.  That translates to more than 8 million dollars an hour. Or put another way, the $35 million we have pledged in disaster aid for Southeast Asia is less than the amount the U.S. military spent during the six hours it took on Sunday for the tsunami to cross the Indian Ocean.

The baseball slugger metaphor can be further simplified. Our initial offer of funds is about what a baseball MVP makes, with salary plus marketing deals, in a year or so.

President Bush explained: “These past few days have brought loss and grief to the world that is beyond comprehension.”

As the sole superpower, we need to comprehend it, and fast.

And this isn’t all altruism. A few billion bucks spread around the hardest hit areas right now could be the best marketing dollars America has spent in years.

Two of the lucky ones recount their experience:

“We held hands and crouched in the corner. Then we heard a rumbling explosion that didn’t end.”

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A Washington Post staff writer on the Tsunami: “I was taking my morning swim…”

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The entire Island of Sumatra moved more than 100 feet.

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Flickr photos tagged with the words earthquake and tsunami.

Where do the Dems go from here?

The LA Times describes part of the debate when it comes to that question:

The fight is a central theme of the contest to head the Democratic National Committee, particularly between two leading candidates: former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who supports abortion rights, and former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer, an abortion foe who argues that the party cannot rebound from its losses in the November election unless it shows more tolerance on one of society’s most emotional conflicts.

If that doesn’t work, Dems can give up their other principles one by one until something takes.

Dems did not lose the election because of principles. Dems lost the election because they diminished their own principles (in the misguided hope of an anyone but Bush landslide) and a longstanding failure when it comes to messaging and framing the issues. When you’re selling yourself, better to change the pitch than the product.

The worst case scenario response to last November would be to transform the party in Republicans Light.

The FCC decided to make public some of the now infamous nine mailed complaints about the supposedly obsene displays during the broadcast of the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olmpics on NBC.

To make a long story short, it looks like we may need a new adult channel dedicated solely to disrobed statues (they never, ever go limp, you know), especially those of historical significance.

The complaints (riddled with typos and spelling errors that a grammarian might find obscene) can best be summed up by one letter-writer who explained: “My children saw an exposed breast during the opening ceremonies,” and another who asked, “How could NBC be allowed to show the male genitalia on national television?” By the way, the writer here is referring to a reproduction of a statue. If you can get off to that, my hat is off to you (so are my pants for that matter).

This would all be ridiculously funny if it weren’t for the fact that handful of nuts like these can actually move policy in this country. Remember, 99.8% of all complaints to the FCC this year came from a single organization. And yet policies were rocked.

The concerns of tiny group of television watchdogs turned major political force can perhaps best be summed up by yet another outtake from the opening ceremony letters of complaint:

“To sit there with my kids and watch a guy basically rip off a girls [sic] clothes while appearing to have sex, has nothing to do with Olympic tradition.”

That’s right of course. Isn’t it time that we got back to the days of gladiators fighting to the death? That would make a hell of the lot better television than catching a few glimpses of statue’s tit.

Take a look at John Battelle’s predictions for next year, especially the ones the relate to the ongoing search wars.

John, hard at work writing his book on the subject, knows about as much about the search game as anyone without the last name Google.

With email and other forms of communication on the rise, it makes sense that people are sending fewer letters. Last year, for the first time ever, first class mail made up less than half of the Postal Service’s total volume.

So why does your postman look even more exhausted than usual this holiday season? Because, while the light stuff like Christmas Cards, holiday photos and personal letters are on the wane, there are more thick catalogs than ever.

And why, in this era of broadband internet connections, online shopping engines and ecommerce sites for just about every product, are we seeing a surge in the number of catalogs stuffing our mailboxes?

There are two reasons. First, the do not call lists and other anti-telemarketing measures have made it more difficult to reach you by phone. Second, because it works.

And there’s the rub. Want the junk out of your mailbox? Figure out a way to convince your neighbors across the country to stop ordering stuff. Want your email inbox to be spam-free for eternity? No problem. Just make sure no one buys things from people who send them spam.

In the meantime, be kind to your local postal-person this time of year. A tip would be nice. A tube of Bengay even better.