Posted by
on Thursday, May 15, 2008 7:05:53 PM
And when do we stop digging?
In an election year when the 'best' the Republican party can put forth as its Standard Bearer is a Democrat-Lite it might be fun to take a few minutes to review some of the other fun items making news these days in this great land of ours. Why, just in the past week or so there have been several newsworthy stories that might have a sane thinking he has fallen into Lewis Carroll's rabbit hole of "Alice In Wonderland" fame. The only fair way (in my mind at least) to list these "Odd But True" events is by category which will make it easier to edit in the future as well as making it easier for the reader to read only those types of 'headlines' they are interested in.
Being as I hail from Massachusetts, many of these oddball features will bear a local twist (there are MANY oddball things about this state, believe you, me). Sorry, but just as all politics is local, one relies on the local for the news too, though there will also be a healthy dose of National & International BS as well.
So, here goes...
Politics & The Environment
The United States Government Dept of the Interior, for the first time placed an animal (the Polar Bear) on the Endangered Species List primarily because of global warming EVEN THOUGH the bears are already protected under the even more stringent Marine Mammal Protection Act.! The fact that "the polar bear has rebounded from a worldwide population of around 12,000 in the late 1960s to about 20,000 to 25,000 today" according to the Boston Globe, might make a reasonable man conclude that the Polar Bear is NOT in fact "threatened" but is in fact THRIVING!!
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said "the Bush administration did not believe protection would come at the expense of oil and gas drilling in the Arctic" & said he was working to prevent any group from using the designation as a "back door" way to create climate policy...BUT immediately Pat Parenteau, an endangered species specialist and professor at Vermont Law School fired back, "He can say what he wants, that this isn't a backdoor way to regulate [emissions]. But the courts are going to decide that, not him..."
Meanwhile, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry said, "Today's announcement is both a victory and a lifeline for our last remaining polar bears. The next step is to secure the long-term survival of the species by ensuring that the polar bear habitat in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas is protected from the threat of oil and gas drilling...Even while the Interior Department was taking steps to give these bears ESA protection, the Bush administration opened almost 30 million acres of polar bear habitat to oil and gas exploration, which - by their own admission - may ultimately kill polar bears."
Oh Yeah...and the price of crude hit ANOTHER ALL TIME HIGH as this was going on!!!
Then there is the case of the presumptive Republican Candidate for President, John McCain pandering for even more liberal votes, while sticking another finger in the eye of his party's base voters by announcing that "climate change is a real threat that needs addressing." No word on how, or how much we'll pay for it though.
Congress playing at work
In The Senate -
The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, wants an independent, impartial investigation into "Spygate" the New England Patriots' alledged 'illegal' videotaping of opposing teams practices. I guess when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement declaring the league was ready to close the book on the issue, even though it is their game, it wasn't enough for Spector who was heard to say "If they don't [do something], I think it's up to Congress to investigate and take corrective action..." Specter said the chairman of the committee, Democrat Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, who would have to approve any hearings, had volunteered to authorize committee expenses (now wasn't THAT nice of him...always easy to 'volunteer' someone elses [OUR] money I suppose) if Specter wanted to send out investigators.
As if the Baseball Steroid Fiasco wasn't enough wasted time & taxpayer money we could soon be treated to another round of hearings that mean little to the welfare of the people these folks have been elected to serve.
NewsFlash to Arlen Spector, Patrick Leahy et al. - I just got back from the grocery store!!! Have any of you seen the price of food these days??!! Do any of you CARE?
small town news
Peabody, Ma. - High School girl wants to attend prom. Check. Boyfriend can't attend but girl finds boy to 'stand-in' as date. Check. High school has "Dress Code" for Prom attendees. Check. Stand-in 'boyfriend/prom-date" wants to wear a dress to prom. Ch....HUH?
But Wait, it gets better!
When told about "dress code" girl raises stink...goes over principle's head to School Superintendent who promptly caves to girl & stand-in's demands!!! Girl learns the TRUE MORAL of story and is quoted as she laughs - "I learned if you scream loud enough you get what you want."
Ahhhhhhh, to be young again and, this time in an era when there are no Real Adults around willing to tell me I'm being foolish! Yet we wonder what is wrong with kids today? Sheeesh.
Though somewhere in Wisconsin, there is a High School Graduation that has a 'different' kind of dress code problem on their hands... a graduating Senior who finished his class requirements earlier this year found enough time left on his hands to attend and to graduate the US Marine Corps Basic Training. When he petitioned the school district for permission to wear his Dress Blues instead of the traditional cap & gown he was denied. At last report the young Marine wasn't holding his breath, stomping his feet or crying to "higher-ups" to get his way. Go Figure.
Hanover, Ma. - A private business gets burglarized multiple times and the owner of said calls police multiple times. Finally the police tell the storeowner there is nothing they can do to help him stop the breaking & entering (after all, they're real, real busy in this particular small town) so the owner resorts to camping out in his store to catch a thief on his own. BINGO!!! Burglar shows up AGAIN!!! But this time the storeowner is waiting & is Armed with a shotgun...I'll bet you think you see where this is going but please continue...Burglar flees, Shopowner fires weapon "deliberately into the ground" (according to police) to frighten thief into stopping his flight from justice...Taaa-Daaaa! It worked! Police show up to bust buglar AND THE STOREOWNER!!
The police chief & prosecutor contend that discharging the 'lawfully owned' weapon within 500 feet of a dwelling (the story goes he was INSIDE said dwelling - ie. his store) is against the law. OK let us stipulate that is the case. But the charges filed go further than that! Far enough that the storeowner could end up doing more time than the burglar when all is said and done!! The statement released as it related to the further charges read - Mr Storeowner "might have killed the burglar" by firing the shotgun IF he hadn't been aiming at the ground!"
But THAT is not the end of the story...Now comes the part where the real perp (the burglar) will hurry to get his Speedy Trial so as he can get back on the street to burglarize again (maybe even the same store)!!!
You see...IF the burglar gets tried 1st, there will be no witness to testify against him for the burglary! The storeowner cannot testify against himself (5th amendment) and THAT is what it would take to convict the burglar!!! That my friends is Justice...
Liberal Style!
Time to put the shovel down for a while!
W/O=