Whitney Houston, Dead at 48

Whitney Houston, famous for her tremendous voice range and pop hits, died Saturday at the Beverly Hilton hotel, hours before she planned to attend the annual pre-Grammy party hosted by her mentor, Clive Davis. Davis spoke to the gathering of artists and entertainers telling them of his personal devastation and incredible sadness when he was informed of her death.. He added, "My heart goes out to her daughter Bobbi Kristina and her mother, Cissy," and announced that he was dedicated the evening to Houston.

At left, Houston is pictured during happier times with Davis at his 2011 pre-Grammy party.

Houston suffered years of drug abuse that caused a decline in her health and her ability to hit the high notes, but was attempting a comeback. She had launched comebacks before and came close with her album I Look to You, recorded in 2009. It went platinum but failed to reach her previous commercial and artistic success, so the anticipated worldwide tour didn't occur. Filming on the remake of the movie Sparkle had just completed, and she hoped her role would boost her career.

Two days prior to her death, Houston celebrated at another Grammy party where she behaved erratically and appeared wasted. Ham on Wry prefers to remember her remarkable voice and uplifting music and extends sympathy to all those close to the talented star. Any way one views it, her death is a tragedy and a loss to music lovers.

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Bloodshed Continues in Syria

Reuters Photo

Syrian forces bombarded districts of Homs Saturday, killing a reported 7 people demonstrating against President Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds of people have died in Homs, the third largest city in Syria, during the past week

SANA Photo

The attack on Homs followed two suicide bombings Friday that targeted security compounds in Aleppo, an area previously left untouched by violence because it showed support for President Bashar Assad. Twenty-eight people died in that attack. Anti-Assad activist deny involvement in the bombings, claiming the government was engaging in a smear campaign to thwart the opposition.


Assad has repeatedly ignored appeals from countries around the world to stop the aggression and leave the country. In response to last week's veto of a U.N. resolution, Saudi Arabia has drafted a similar document that it will submit to the U.N. General Assembly. Unlike the U.N. Security Council, the General Assembly does not allow vetoes. However, resolutions it passes are not legally binding, thus unenforceable. The Saudi document purportedly contains language that condemns human rights violations.

Beleaguered Syrian citizens have long pleaded for help in their plight. They face almost insurmountable obstacles in their opposition to Assad, since Russia has supplied the regime with an arsenal of weapons, including huge tanks used in the onslaught. "Where is the world?" indeed. Opinions differ in the approach to use, but most nations agree that something must be done to help the Syrians who are refused food and medical treatment when wounded. That is, most nations other than Russia and China, who showed their support for Assad by vetoing the U.N. Security Council's resolution last week. Both nations display a decided lack of concern for the loss of human lives.

If readers are still buying goods from China, stop it! Demand that retailers purchase goods from countries that care about humanity and buy American produced items where available. When people act in large numbers, it sends an unmistakable message to those who offend.

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Texting While Driving--Could Anything Be More Stupid?

Ham on Wry has often experienced the "joy" of traveling behind someone talking on a cell phone while trying to negotiate busy roadways--something which is both irritating and unnerving.  These drivers typically speed up and down multiple times, inflaming the anger of drivers behind them. That situation is bad enough, but traveling behind someone texting while driving poses the ultimate danger to other drivers.  Note the picture above and imagine where the driver's attention lies. You guessed it! It is definitely not on traffic.

Florida is one of only 8 states that have no type of ban on texting while driving. Seven states have enacted laws that partially ban texting, and the remaining 35 states have banned texting entirely. Logically, Florida should add to the number of states that totally ban texting, But this is Florida, land of pandering to corporations despite the negative effects on citizens.

Florida's infinitely wise legislature (overwhelmingly Republican) predicts that a ban on texting has little likelihood of passing here. I don't suppose it has anything to do with cell phone companies using lobbyists to pressure legislators. Besides, why would we want to ban texting when it's so much fun to dodge the out-of-state drivers searching for signs, foreign drivers unfamiliar with driving on the right, and elderly drivers that should have surrendered their licenses long ago? Texting drivers only add to the endless hours of pleasure Florida driver enjoy during "the season." Why should we deprive anyone of multi-tasking while they drive, despite the deaths caused by their selfish pursuit of constant communication.

Here's why! No driver can safely pay attention to traffic patterns and other drivers while texting. The photo above shows the result of a texting driver that didn't see the accident waiting to happen. Get real, Florida! Ban texting behind the wheel for the sake of everyone who travels on our roads. If you're reading this, and you're guilty of texting while driving, stop it! Now!

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Russia and China Block United Nations Security Draft Resolutions

Photo-Alessio Romenzi AFP/Getty

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted Russia and China Saturday after they vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution backing an Arab call for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to resign, calling it a travesty. Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the U N, also excoriated the two nations for blocking a watered-down version of the resolution intended to bring relief to the beleaguered citizens of Syria.

Well over 200 protesters died in the most recent demonstration against al-Assad's regime.  Some news outlets have expressed fear that Russia's support of al-Assad will embolden him to exact more brutality on demonstrators because Russia will continue providing him with an arsenal of weapons. I guess we shouldn't be surprised by Russia's and China's veto. Russia has a long history of crushing insurgencies, and China will long be remembered for the bloodbath at Tienanmen Square in 1989. These two countries are not exactly bastions of freedom.

The U.N. reported that more than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March, and.explained that the chaos in Syria make it impossible to give accurate updates on deaths since then. Syria has  made it impossible for media to have access in order to report the events as they happen. The Assad regime accuses foreign terrorists of creating the uprising, not people seeking to transform the authoritarian regime. This man must live in a fantasy world because no one is buying his version of what happened.

As a result of the unrest and increasing violence in Syria, the United States is closing its embassy there, a wise decision in view of the recent veto. We don't need a repeat of what happened at the Iranian Embassy , now do we?

The photo above depicts the real loser is this horror--the Syrian people.

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Tension Increases In Arab Gulf Region

AP Photo

Iran has issued threats against any neighboring countries that allow foreign aggressors to launch an attack against it. Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Republican Guard, told the Fars news agency Sunday that Iran would retaliate against any country from which a military strike emanated. U.S.allied Gulf Arab states in the Gulf Cooperation Council have assured Iran that they will not allow their countries to be used for that purpose..

Various opinions exist about Iran's nuclear readiness. Israel has pushed for a preemptive strike based on its intelligence gathering of Iran's nuclear capabilities and has increasing concerns because Iran is moving all of its nuclear facilities to underground bunkers, making it difficult to assess the level and depth of activity.

While the United States has said it will not rule out any options at this point,  Leon Paneta urged caution in the face of increasing volatility and reportedly has concerns that Israel might act without the support of its allies.

Ham on Wry believes that nations in the Gulf Region have much to lose if Iran attacks any other country with nuclear weapons, because retaliation would come immediately and affect more than just Iran. I have no insider information on which to base this, but common sense dictates that Arab states don't want all-out war. Their entire region is defined by oil, and their ability to produce and ship it would, at best, be compromised for many months under an attack scenario. Certainly, negotiations must be occurring behind the scenes. Citizen revolts occurred last year during "Arab Spring", and Syria has captured world attention with its leader's treatment of the people calling for greater freedom. The Middle East has much to lose if Iran acts as the aggressor in such turbulent times.

We have seen the devastation that occurred during an unnecessary war in Iraq. May that debacle remind us not to act in haste.

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People's Wrath Forces Susan G. Komen to Reinstate Planned Parenthood Grants

The power of the people rules! Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced Friday its reversal of a decision made earlier this week to stop funding breast care grants to Planned Parenthood. As the most well-known charitable organization that deals with breast cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure came under immediate attack when it withdrew funding. The site was deluged with messages excoriating the decision, and social media sites were blanketed with negative posts.

Although Komen executives deny it, Planned Parenthood supporters, including local directors within Komen's ranks, say Komen had come under pressure from anti-abortion activists and caved in as a result. In a statement signed by its board of directors and its founder Nancy Brinker, Komen apologized to the American public Friday for casting doubt on their mission to provide breast screenings.. Komen will no longer bar organizations that are under government investigation from applying for grants. Thus, Planned Parenthood, facing a House probe over whether it has used federal funds to pay for abortions, again has eligibility for Komen grants.

Ham on Wry applauds Komen for its return to its mission focus. Radicals have too long forced capitulation to their agendas, and the people of America have finally found their voice. Most citizens fall somewhere in the center of a scale with radical conservatives on one end and radical liberals on the other. Citizens can no longer afford to stay disengaged with the political process, because that's what this is all about. With global unrest reaching unprecedented levels and an economy in the early stages of recovery, abortion should not occupy this country's top priority. Those of us who fall in the moderate range must continue making our voices heard above those with narrow interests.

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Planned Parenthood Donations Climb After Susan G. Komen Foundation Withdraws Funding

Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Donations are pouring in to Planned Parenthood as the Susan G. Komen Foundation suffers a backlash from its decision Tuesday to ax funding for mammograms and breast care for women who don't have insurance. Ham on Wry ls both surprised and heartened that the flood of donations more than compensates for the loss of Komen's funding.

Planned Parenthood executives announced Wednesday that generous Americans contributed $650,000 within 24 hours, almost as much as last year’s Komen funding. Online donors contributed more than $400,000, and  philanthropist Lee Sikes and his wife Amy gave Planned Parenthood $250,000 through the family foundation.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office announced Thursday that he will give a $250,000 matching gift to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America to help make up for the withdrawal of funds from the Komen Foundation. Mayor Bloomberg presented a written statement that declared, "Politics have no place in health care. Breast cancer screening saves lives, and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way." You go, Mayor Bloomberg!

Although Komen executives deny that the foundation bowed to pressure from anti-abortion groups, online comments show that people aren't buying what they're selling. Almost immediately after the announcement was made public, social media sites received a flurry of angry posts and online action groups rallied their members to decry the Komen Foundation decision. Public outcry centered on the frustration that women's health issues have been politicized based solely on the issue of abortion.

Lest we forget, I remind readers that our nation was founded on a principle of freedom to choose that rested on the notion of "separation of church and state." Every American has a right to an opinion, but that does not give citizens the right to force that opinion on others based on religious beliefs. We saw evidence of how strongly Mississippi's voters feel about a woman's right to choose when they defeated the "Personhood Amendment."

Kudos to everyone who expressed their ire at the Komen Foundation by donating to Planned Parenthood. Perhaps politicos should pay more attention to the people's will than to the lunatic fringes on either end of the political spectrum. Those squeaky wheels don't deserve oiling.

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