Labor Day round-up

The US government has appealed for help from Europe, which seems to have responded generously. More astonishing, Asian countries hit by the tsunami offer aid. Add it all in with the outpouring of private US aid -- which I witnessed first hand last night during my eight hours at a shelter -- and I have such a warm fuzzy feeling for people.

Slate had a good primer on rising fuel costs over here. I notice the President called for conservation last week, a move that surprised me, but at least he acknowledges that if we use less, prices will go down. It's simple supply and demand economics. Though, as I see shiny new Hummers on the road, I wish he'd be more forceful about his call, and not so 'folksy'.

I was surprised by Bush's nomination of Roberts for Chief Justice as I'd fully expected that nod go to Scalia -- who, mho, is rather scary. Roberts is more of a cipher but from what I've read, he seems like he is a fair, deliberate man, and not too much to the right. It's too much to hope the President will appoint a moderate or a liberal to the court, so I'll take what we can get. Still, put yet another 50-year old conservative white man on the Court and we'll be stuck with those decisions for a very long time.