Bennett bumble

"Whoops", said the man as he slipped. Bennett, being an intelligent man was just trying to share an opinion that many "free-thinkers" might share. He did say toward the end of his hypothetical statement that it was:

"an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."

For any well-educated sane person to broadcast an offensive 'hypothetical' idea like this.. well, tricky is probably the best way to put it.

Indictment of Character

Aren't all politicians indicted at some point in time? If they are not indicted for skimming off the top or for hiring a relative to serve on the board of some multi-national corporation or just for being morally bankrupt, aren't they all guilty anyway? These indictments being served like pink slips at a downsizing are just too much. If said indictment does not lead to a conviction, then maybe the grand jury should be indicted for issuing such drivel.

Indict: v. to charge with a crime, especially by action of a grand jury.

Insert this

Okay, so once a week or once a month you recieve (I do anyway) your periodical. When you peruse the contents page and flip through to an article of interest how many of these freakin' inserts are you forced to stop and pull from the magazine spine? One, two, how about ten. Is this acceptable?
For me, I'll just let my subscriptions expire.

Forecast: more of the same

I sure hope these forecasters are wrong.
"Meteorologists argue that we have begun a new era of Atlantic storms pumped up by hot gulf waters, a cycle that oscillates in decades."
But wait, there's more.
"If these are just the first dark puffs of a new kind of summer weather that will prevail for the next 20 years, can we possibly be ready for what is to follow?"
I'm guessing everyone should be prepared for an extended camping trip.

Trunk Space

Another candidate for Mother of the Year, not.

"Cheryl Ann Brown, 38 is accused of forcing two of her children to take turns riding in a car trunk during a trip from Alabama to Loudoun County told the girls "that's what bumpers are for" when one expressed concern about possibly getting hurt in a car accident, prosecutors said yesterday."
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison.

Fleeing Flood

Well it's another irony-filled day. As these citizens flee the potential flooding they are released from their earthly bond in fire.
I'm not sure what's worse, the blackened bus with tarp-covered bodies, or the gathering T.V. media sharks trying to vie for position on the biggest story this hour.

Next big thing

It's beyond me, every time there is an electronic improvement of any kind it is so the new device is smaller.
I probably will get this new version of the gameboy, but what I really want is the new system in the future that will be contact lenses with hyper-nanotechnology that allow me to play the game when I close my eyes.

Cost Overrun

I hope the G.O.P. can get it right. I'm not holding my breath, mind you.

"A group of these conservatives, including Feeney, plans today to present to the White House a proposal to cover the cost of the entire Katrina relief and reconstruction package. Dubbed "Operation Offset," it will include repealing many of the pork-barrel projects stuffed into the $286 billion highway bill that Bush signed into law a few weeks before Katrina struck."

Trust is earned

Will they? Won't they? Do you trust someone that is not trustworthy?

"They have said, in principle, that they will abandon their weapons programs. And what we have said is great, that's a wonderful step forward, but now we've got to verify whether or not that happens."
PRESIDENT BUSH, on a nuclear agreement with North Korea.

NASA Luna

To the moon, Alice. To the moon.
The geniuses with slide rulers at NASA are offering the American taxpayer a great deal. A moonshot for the low, low price of $104 billion dollars.
Here's a quote direct from the article:

The pace of the project, NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin said, "will fit the funding that's available."

I'm not sure who these salesmen are trying to fool, but how many Government projects have ever fit the funding? I'm going to guess, zero.

OPEC's Generosity

Wow, we are so lucky our "friends", the members of OPEC are considering lifting the quota on oil production. What did we ever do to deserve such an honorable show of gratitude?
Maybe, since we and the Brits are the World Police, just maybe we should police the price of oil these opportunists set for the democratic nations.

Netflix Nexus

I'm usually not some product whore like so many, but I can be bought. A few months back I did the usual sign up at Blockbuster for the month long unlimited movie deal. Well as usual, I was just another number in the grinder for these guys. At the end of the month I cancelled.
So I decided to try something new. The guys with an idea at Netflix sure are doing something incredible. They have a huge catalog online, and I fill the queue with films I want to view and they deliver it to me. With gas prices as they are, why in hell would I choose to drive anywhere I don't have to?
The last time I had a good retail experience was likely when I was knee-high to my parents. Thanks to the progressive thinking entrepreneurs at Netflix I will consider a long term membership.

The Buck Stops

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at a White House news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. "And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility. I want to know what went right and what went wrong."
Finally, the buck stops here.
When Kennedy accepted full responsibility for the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, that was also a great moment in history. The President has now turned a corner in his administration.

Paratroop panic

According to this Iraqi taxi driver, the British paratroopers beat him up and down. Maybe there was a communication breakdown, or maybe it was just payback. Whatever it was, I'm certain a scapegoat will be cast out and medical treatment will be given to the injured parties as long as they meet their $15.00 copay.

Howard Dean Martin

Ok, so I'm watching The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer recently and he is interviewing Howard Dean. Anyhow, Dean is on and he is criticizing the administration for not responding quickly to the catastrophe in the Gulf states.
When all of a sudden Wolf hits Dean with (I'm paraphrasing here) "surely some of the blame on the slow response should lie on the shoulders of the local and/or state government?" Dean's response was a political sidestep as usual, something to the effect of, "well Wolf that depends on the structural plan for a response etc..."
If I were Wolf I would have kindly asked him to get the hell out of my situation room. Obviously, Mr. Schmuck, I mean Mr. Dean does not want to respond to an important question many Americans want an answer for.

Should I Stay or Should I Go

Holdouts want to stay the course. What intrigues me about this report is the following:
Some holdouts seem intent on keeping alive the distinct and wild spirit of this city. In the French Quarter, Addie Hall and Zackery Bowen found a unusual way to make sure that police officers regularly patrolled their house. Ms. Hall, 28, a bartender, flashed her breasts at the police vehicles that passed by, ensuring a regular flow of traffic.
It seems to me, Ms. Hall is what great Americans should aspire to.

Kojo, Kofi Korruption

This is not surprising. We have some of the most corrupt politicians here in the U.S. it's not something we haven't become used to. But it is amazing what you can get used to.
The oil for food program was intended to assist the Iraqi people living under the brutal dictatorship of Satan, Sadaam whatever, instead we have opportunists taking advantage of a $64 billion dollar program. I guess if you're going to line your pockets with kickbacks and profits you should aim for the mark with the biggest wallet.
"We have found no corruption by the secretary general," said Volcker, but "his behavior has not been exonerated by any stretch of the imagination."
After this investigation we will have another by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, this law dog will conduct his own criminal probe of the U.N. program. As if we needed to throw more money to have a second committee reach the same conclusions.

Bureaucratic Efficiency

There must be several reasons the bureaucrats can give us why teams of FEMA professionals are sitting in a Dallas hotel. On a scale of one to ten I don't think the "directors" are going to see any high marks.

The Big Hurt

I'm not sure how blaming the administration for a lack of readiness is in some way going to lessen the impact of the devastation that has ocurred. Hindsight being 20/20 and all, maybe the millions of Americans who chose not to vote in 2004 will decide voting in the next election will be something worth considering?

Bigger in Texas

Thankfully Texas and many other states are helping with big hearts, big wallets and big stadiums.
"In Houston, the city began to grapple with the logistics of taking tens of thousands of refugees into the Astrodome. American Red Cross officials said late Thursday night that the Astrodome was full after accepting more than 11,000 refugees and that evacuees were being sent to other shelters in the Houston area."
The mayor of New Orleans may be upset with the Federal response to the devastation in his fair city but I'm sure he'll always be thankful to Texas.

gasbuddy

Here is a website that can help when comparison pricing fuel in your area. Good luck.