A number of years ago illusionist, David Copperfield, made the Statue of Liberty vanish. Makine a 300+ feet tall statue that weighs 225 tons made his earlier feats pale in comparison. Unfortunately for Copperfield and his fellow illusionists one of their kind had a popular television show exposing their secrets. Obviously Copperfield was not able to make Lady Liberty disappear, however, the main stream media has taken illusion to a whole new level.
Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri is a one of the most interesting characters on the Sopranos television series. Paulie is one of the top advisers to the head of the family and is considered one of the most ruthless members. He is considered heartless and volatile which seem to make him a very effective enforcer. He is also part of the inner most circle and perhaps the most trustworthy of Tony Soprano’s crew. Paulie has long been known to desire to move up in the organization.
There is daily news implicating House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the “scandal” over Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EIT). Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) had been a long-time opponent to EITs and the practice of water boarding in particular. In an article that she wrote for Washington Monthly in March 2008, Pelosi 
(D-CA) was clear in her opposition to enhanced techniques.
“The use of torture violates fundamental American values. It damages the reputation of the United States in the eyes of the international community, and it increases the risks for our military personnel, diplomatic officers, and intelligence agents around the world. Many intelligence professionals have stated that torture is ineffective: it is unlikely to produce the kind of timely and reliable information needed to disrupt terrorist plots. The negative consequences of the use of torture far outweigh the supposed benefits.”
This is the first in the new series – Framing the Dictionary.
Hubris is defined in Answers.com as:
“Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance”
As you scroll further on the web page they offer this second definition:
Hubris [hew - bris] or hybris, the Greek word for ‘insolence’ or ‘affront’, applied to the arrogance or pride of the protagonist in a tragedy in which he or she defies moral laws or the prohibitions of the gods. The protagonist’s transgression leads eventually to his or her downfall, which may be understood as divine retribution or nemesis. Hubris is commonly translated as ‘overweening (i.e. excessively presumptuous) pride’. In proverbial terms, hubris is thus the pride that comes before a fall.
Do you believe in magic
As I was thinking about the “stimulus” package that our wonderful elected officials are about to strap to our backs, this famous song popped into my head.
And it’s magic, if the music is groovy
It makes you feel happy like an old-time movie
Politicians are telling us that they know what is best for us. How we should stop talking about this and support their plan. If we do not act now things will get worse. Support us and we can move on with a smile.
