For almost a decade I had the pleasure of serving as a political reporter and news anchor covering stories in Jefferson City and beyond. But that "assignment" as we call it in the radio business has come to an end.

Truth be told, it didn't come as a surprise as I had been told that a cascade of complaints regarding something I had tweeted on my personal Twitter account had led to some difficult moments for folks at my company. My news director went so far as to tell me, on Friday, that there was a good chance I might have to go. And it came to pass.

What did I do that was so egregious? It all began Friday when I heard, on an early morning radio newscast, that Osama Bin Laden had issued yet another tape. On this tape he speaks of global warming being a threat to the world's well being and claims the United States is, of course, to blame. I laughed out loud. The world's number one terrorist has now shifted from encouraging the flying of planes into skyscrapers to global warming. Unbelievable.

I contacted three friends that morning to play a version of the "Who said it?" parlor game. The first person, a Republican, said, "That's the actor [Danny Glover] who's in the 'Lethal Weapon' movies with Mel Gibson." Nope. While it's true Danny Glover did claim the earthquake in Haiti was the result of failure to achieve a global warming agreement in Copenhagen, he is not the answer to this "Who said it?" game.

The second person, an independent moderate, guessed it was something someone had posted in the Daily Kos - a left wing blog. Sorry. Wrong answer.

The third person, a Democrat, guessed it might have been someone on MSNBC. Good guess, but another incorrect answer.

The silence was deafening as I informed these people that it was terrorist Osama Bin Laden who had made the remarks. But the initial shock quickly turned to laughter as each of my friends realized how ridiculous a situation this is that Osama Bin Laden would suddenly embrace global warming as a cause. The mind boggles.

While a sample of three people - four if I include myself - does not a scientific survey make, the fact we all thought the comment was more likely to have come from the American Left than from a terrorist speaks volumes. I then tweeted a joke: "Osama Bin Laden formally joins the American Left ... buying into global warming and blaming the U.S."

Yup, it was a joke. But the left wing blogosphere got hold of it and went nuts. It was an attempt at humor, but clearly I had struck a nerve - causing considerable angst among the folks at Fired Up! Missouri here in the Show-Me State and Media Matters on the national level. I forgot a cardinal rule - never poke fun at someone's religion. My humor led to a backlash from those for whom global warming - or climate change as it is called when the weather turns cold - is a sacred religious belief. The furor has yet to die down.

So, the bottom line here is that I am out of work. It's interesting that I poke fun at the religion of global warming the same week MSNBC's Chris Matthews says of President Obama following the State of the Union Address, "I forgot he was black tonight." And Matthews is still rolling along. Very interesting, indeed!

I want it made clear I hold no animosity toward my former employer and the employees. In fact, I regret having put the company in this position. I will miss the place after almost a decade. But I have made friends, through the job, who will remain friends for a lifetime. Jobs come and go but friends are to be treasured.

I set up this blog, over the weekend, in anticipation of my departure, and I will use it to enter observations from time to time.

One last thing: I'm probably going to take a few days to wind down followed by a search for a new job. If anyone wants to talk to me about employment opportunities or just wants to say "Hi" you can do so at stevewalsh2010@gmail.com.

My heartfelt thanks to all with whom I have worked over the last ten years. I will be very happy if we can work together again, soon.

Steve Walsh