Monday, July 31, 2006

The Sweet Smell of Desperation

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today a successful attempt by the Santorum campaign to link Bob Casey Jr. to Al-Jazeerah. Unfortunately, it was the wrong Al-Jazeerah. Good going, Rick.

My favorite part of the piece is how the Santorum folks refuse to back down. Like a good Republican, Santorum knows that if you never back down, even from a foolish statement, some people will take you seriously and assume you know what you're talking about.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Some Comeuppance

Apparently, the City of Philadelphia has finally worked up the nerve to tell the Boy Scouts that they can't have it both ways. Thanks to the Supreme Court, the BSA is legally allowed to exclude gays, but accordingly to Philadelphia ordinance, any group that does so is ineligible for city funds. That includes the local Scouts chapter headquarters at 22nd and Winter, in which the Scouts have resided rent-free for decades. Naturally the Scouts are crying discrimination, which is a hoot and a half since they started this whole business, and are threatening legal action. Evidently the Scouts want the benefits of being a private organization in terms of discrimination along with the ability to suckle at the public teat.

To satisfy my own pointless curiousity, I went to the Boy Scouts Web site to find out just what being a Scout means. Here's a direct quote:

"A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent."

Too bad consistent and intellectually honest aren't on that list. In the days that come, however, perhaps they'll add litigious.

Monday, July 17, 2006

A new boob

Alan Keyes, with his burning desire to repeal the 17th Amendment, used to hold my "Craziest Politician" title, but I think Katherine Harris may be ready to wrest it away. You may remember the Honorable Ms. Harris from the 2000 election fiasco, in which she did all she could as Florida's secretary of state to ensure that her buddy George Bush (on whose campaign team she then worked) took the state's 25 electoral votes. Two years later she won a seat in the House of Representatives, thus accounting for the "honorable" part of her name. (Payola, anyone?) Well, her Senate campaign is floundering under constant staff changes, lack of funding and discouragement from most major Florida Republicans, but now news surfaces about her penchant for waving dead interns. Gee...it couldn't happen to a nicer election-fixer.

On an unrelated topic, I was thinking about "The Brady Bunch" the other day, and wondering why on earth the Bradys needed a maid. Sure, there were eight of 'em in that house, but it's not as if Carol was busting heavies in an office all day, out-earning her hubbie. I seem to recall her occasionally bringing in bags of groceries, but I don't remember her ever taking up a broom or sponge. Also, Alice worked for the Brady's for how many years and still addressed and referred to Carol as "Mrs. Brady." And do you remember the episode in which Alice had to leave to care for a sick relative for a week or so? She got her cousin to stand in for her (said cousin being Ann B. Davis in a duel role), but I can't be the only one to wonder why a family with two adults and at least two children in their mid-teens can't cope for a week without domestic help.

I watched the show as a child, and looking back I recall that it was pure fantasy to me. I grew up in what would twenty years later be called a crack slum, on a household budget in which fruit juice was a luxury, and these people have an enormous house with a maid. I might as well have been watching "Babylon 5" for all that I could personally relate.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Now I post more than Tim...

I can use his real name since I won't tell you his blog name. Or Live Journal name. I think that's OK to do, and if it isn't I guess he and I will have to fight it out with daggers on the brink of a Lucas-pit.

The other day I was thinking about this whole flag-burning hoo-ha...I always know spring has arrived when Congress wheels out the flag-burning amendment for another run. Man, but that thing has seen more traffic than I-95! I could burn the U.S. Constitution on any corner in this country and most Americans wouldn't bat an eye, but let me take a Bic to a colored piece of cloth and about two-thirds of 'em go ballistic. That's a pretty sad statement about the quality of most American's love of country.

I recently changed cubicles in my office, and was therefore the recipient of many inquiries that went, "So how do you like your new cube?" How am I supposed to answer that? The damned thing is square and beige, much like the last, and when I am there I have to do things I don't like. At first I tried witty responses like, "I tan way better over here" or "You can't beat the property values on this side of the office." Neither of those went over very well, so now I just say, "Fine." That's probably all they wanted to hear anyway.