News Review

Nothing is news until it has appeared in The Times [or Toner Mishap].
Ralph Deakin (1888 - 1952), British journalist.

I am attempting to catch up and comment on some of the news items last week. This really is a parade of fascist, lying right-wingers succeeding in helping the rich get richer and stay rich. I have never seen a worse administration in my life. As Groucho Marx replied, to the woman who yelped, “I have never been so insulted in my life.” “Stick around.”

Statistics. Time Magazine had in its numbers column (an idea I think they picked up from Harper’s Index) this little tidbit: 14%. Proportion of mobile-phone users worldwide who said in a survey that they have interrupted sex to take a call. I suspect it was probably from their spouse.

From Harper's Index are these jems:
Average amount the Bush Administration has spent per year on contracts with PR firms -- $62,500,000

Average amount spend during the second term of the Clinton Administration -- $32,000,000

Ann Coulter. I never paid much attention to Ann Coulter I figured she was just a female Rush Limbaugh. After reading the cover piece in Time Magazine on her, I would say that she is also a racist or at least finds humor in racism. It’s one thing for her to do so privately, but publicly because she has a large audience further encourages hate. She made a joke that when her Muslim ex-boyfriend was in church with her that at least he was not out killing people. I suspect that Christians have killed far more in the name of God than Muslims, but I could be wrong. I know she is just trying to be funny with a dry sense of humor. I will simply go back to not paying attention to her.

Nuclear Option. I suspect that the Republicans are going to self destruct faster than the Democrats with all this preaching and saddling up to the religious right. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist praying and preaching politics on a broadcast to the unforgiving Christians before attempting to pull the trigger on the Senate’s nuclear option, which means doing away with the filibuster. Let’s just forget the separation of church and state, at least while George Bush is president. It will interesting watching the Republicans squeal like stuck pigs when the Democrats return to power and no longer have the filibuster option. The Senate is suppose to debate the issues and bills, which naturally the Bush administration is against. They want absolute rule.

Frank Rich has an excellent column in Sunday’s New York Times about the "Justice Sunday" judge-bashing rally. The co-producer of this nonsense is James Dobson, who has condemned SpongeBob Square Pants as gay.

Then there is John Bolton, who played loose and fast with the data for going into Iraq, now being rewarded by Dick Cheney / Bush by receiving the nomination for the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Stick around and try and have a sense of humor, you’ll need it as we have three and a half more years of this administration.