"Sick puppies?"

When 50 year-old son
refuses to stop drumming,
83 year-old father opens fire.

“Sick puppies,” indeed. President George Bush the First characterized Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow as a pair of sick puppies because, he said, they unfairly picked on George the Second. I have watched Maddow almost every night since the inception of her program. I do not think she has “unfairly” attacked anyone, although she certainly does attack. I think she has the best show of its kind on television by far. At least she makes no pretense about being bipartisan and comes across clearly and honestly in what she believes. She manages to find the facts about things, checked carefully to be sure she hasn’t said something incorrect, and then pursues the news like a genuine reporter (a very rare performance these days). Usually I agree with her but rarely I do not. She lacks pomposity, thankfully has not insisted on being called “Dr. Rachel,” although she is entitled to that term of respect (I doubt that most viewers are aware she has a Ph.D.). She simply tries to tell it as it is, and obviously takes her work very seriously. She does not hesitate to offend if that becomes necessary. She does not hide her lesbianism nor does she flaunt it, but she does downplay any feminism by dressing in a Spartan fashion, pretty much the same costume every night and never any jewelry (even football players outdo her in this respect). I gather she is a baseball fan and also loves fishing. I have the utmost respect for her, but I do wonder how long she will last. Speaking the truth on television and radio (especially to power) is a risky business these days and even though she is popular and has a wide audience the powers that be may decide the truth is just too threatening. Olberman is a somewhat different case. We must thank him for Rachel as I believe he was responsible for getting her a show even though I think she now outshines him. I like Olberman, but he does have a kind of aggressive edge to him that Rachel avoids, and he is also much too given (I think) to pontificating. Even so, I believe the Olberman/Maddow hours are the best news on television and I sincerely hope they continue. George the First should be more concerned with the “sick puppy” he has for a son, rather than casting aspersions on anyone else.

Speaking of sick puppies, what do you think of the 34 Republicans who voted against Al Franken’s bill to crack down on rape by some of our contractors? Hard to believe, but true. Of course these are mostly the same people who apparently think it is fine that so many of our citizens have no health care and also that it is fine the Insurance Companies continue to make their obscene profits off the misery of the sick and the dying, so what’s a little rape among friends. I guess we might forgive them their insanity, no doubt years of listening to Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and that skinny horse-faced blond woman, has addled their brains so completely they can no longer help what they do. Maybe there has been too much inbreeding among Republicans, how else could we have been cursed with the likes of Inhofe, Grassley, Palin, Bachmann, and others (mostly from the sub I.Q. belt)? Texas wants to secede? Let ‘em, I say, we’d soon be able to buy it back really cheap.

Pity the poor Israelis who are beginning to find out they will not get their way as easily as they have in the past. The U.N. refused to back down on their report on Israeli war crimes in Gaza (even though Israel demanded they do so), they are under increasing pressure to give up building more illegal settlements and may even have to start talking about peace (if, in fact, they even remember how). Netanyahu is proving to be not very popular, their Foreign Minister even less so. And even their long-standing friend, Turkey, has refused to stop showing a film of Israeli soldiers shooting innocent children. More importantly, they cannot find anyone (including the U.S.) who thinks they should bomb the Iranians for manufacturing imaginary nuclear bombs. Adding insult to injury, that awful Black Man in the White House, who doesn’t seem to like them quite as much as his predecessor, George the Dim, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for, of all things, trying to bring about peace! Should he succeed the Israelis might eventually have to give up some of their stolen goods. What, I ask you, is the world coming to?

LKBIQ:
If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known.
George C. Marshall

TILT:
An 18 year-old man in Nepal has laid claim to being the smallest man ever, at 22 inches in height.