WTF OVER.... A BLAST FROM THE PAST IN '95

"THE ARGUMENT FROM INTIMIDATION IS A CONFESSION OF INTELLECTUAL IMPOTANCE"

Well. We see where the formerally esteemed mayor of Salisbury, Barrie Whatshername, has decided to wade into the pig pen with her police chief (pardon the pun) so they can try to give Joe Albero a sound thrashing. Good. I never liked Joe, anyways. Much of his writing betrays his ignorance and, I think, suggests an....umm... emotional disturbance. Personally, I find him easy to ignore - even though he has threatened me with physical assault.
Apparently the same can not be said of Miss Barrie and her minion, yet they have less protection from maniacal rantings than I do owing to their voluntary participation as self-professed leaders of the community. There is a marked difference between the level of privacy and public commentary a private citizen, and a public figure can expect. So, while I admit I haven't kept up on Joe's public strangeness and ramblings, I have to say that most of what I read back before he opened the website constituted Fair Comment, in the context of public figures. Oh, most of it was lame, ignorant, and half-baked, to be sure. But it rarely crossed the line.
So for city officials to file suit smacks of nothing so much as intimidation.

ANOTHER REPUBLICAN GOES DOWN AND OUT.

Glenn Murphy Jr., the recently elected director of The Young Republicans National Federation resigned this week, citing another job opportunity that would prevent his involvement on politics.
But according to the Jeffersonville (IN) Evening News and Tribune, that reasons cited by Murphy may not be entirely correct. According to police sources cited there, Mr. Murphy is under investigation for allegedly performing "an unwanted sex act" on a 22-year-old man. Reportedly the victim was asleep when he was assaulted July 31.
And, it turns out, the incident may not be the first time stories have surfaced alleging Murphy attempts to purloin unguarded hot dogs. ... If only he could find a nice young man and settle down.

THIS GUY JUST KEEPS GETTING MORE HEROIC

Jeremy Hernandez, the 20-year-old Minnesota guy who saved the lives of dozens of kids last week during the bridge collapse, got two impressive reward offers this week. One he accepted, one he rejected. And it is his rejected of that offer that further elevates his status as a hero. A New York Times story yesterday said Hernandez flatly rejected a call from the White House to meet and shake hands with the President, and went fishing instead.

MAYBE IT'S TIME FOR A NEW, EDGIER TOWN MOTTO

Ok, here's the good news: Ocean City, which touts itself as both a world-class beach resort and the economic engine of the county, made national headlines last week. The bad news is that it was for a bizarre homicide case that held the media's attention for days on end. The town even made copy for Newsweek... although it was only on a left-hand page.
It's nice to see our little town get world wide attention, isn't it. The problem is that that the thing that get us noticed is not on the list of things we're paying some high-dollar PR firm to promote. SO maybe we need to ditch them and go with a motto reflecting what we're becoming known for.... I mean, the last big media coverage we had was for the Sifrits, that lovely manical, homicidal couple who visited us a while back.
So let's ditch that candy-assed blue and white flag, and go with the tried and true Jolly Roger. I mean, it's universally recognizible. It's got history, and it's got a edge to it. Think about it... people like to be scared. Just look at the number of people riding the roller coaster, paying big money to ride a slingshot made out of a giant bungicord, or running across Coastal Highway at night. We really should capitalize on this.
Of course, we'll need a new motto: More Fun Here just seems too tame. Oh! How about something like: You May Die Here, But You'll Be Famous. Or, Come to Ocean City and Meet Your Maker, or You Never Know What You'll Find Buried in the Sand.
Let's work on it.

JUST WIPE YOUR CHIN, BOB, AND SHUT UP

Representative Bob Allen (R-Fla.) may be looking for a good PR firm this week after he was busted after agreeing to pay an undercover cop $20 if the cop would let Allen blow him. Reportedly the incident took place in a public restroom in a Florida park.
Allen has pleaded not guilty to the incident and said he only meant it as a "joke."... Okay. What the hell; I believe that, but that still leaves the rest of Allen's story to the court, which was that he was scared because the undercover cop was a large black man and that the only other people around were black men.
Well, that certainly begs questions about his machismo, bravery, ethics and personal resolve if he's willing to get down on his knees and suck off a total stranger, in front of God and everybody, simply because he's scared.

THERE'S BLOOD IN THE WATER AND THE SHARKS ARE RAVENOUS... AND STUPID

So, where are we; three, four days into an admittedly bizarre homicide investigation, and already the ignorant-assed vigilantes (probably good Christian folks just lookin' our for "family values")are ready to convict Christy Freeman of murder.... maybe even serial murder. Their one possible saving grace is that they are too damned stupid to actually be lawyers, and if the rest of us are really lucky, they may be too stupid to vote and thereby be excluded from the list of possible jurors.
Listen, as some people might like to believe that Freeman is some kind of role model for a monster on a Stephan King novel, I don't see the evidence... Oh, I see possiblilities, but I'm really one of those people, when he sees hoof prints in the dirt, looks first for a horse and not a zebra.
And so it is in this instance, too. I look at the published evidence and my first question is: who did that to her, not "how can she be such a monster." And make no mistake, there are some monstrocities taking place here, both in that residence and in the street, where some have already convicted Christy Freeman and are calling for a rope.

NO!... OUR OWN GOVERNMENT WOULDN'T LIE TO US, WOULD THEY?

You recall that thing in the news earlier this week about terrorist (gasp!) making "dry runs" at US airports to test security? Yeah. Thing is, it was probably a lie. That's what the San Diego Union-Trubune said Wednesday when it reported the San Diego director of the Transportation Security Administration said an incident at Lindburgh field, that was featured prominantly in the report, was a false alarm.
And not only was it a false alarm, many of the lurid and scary details quoted in the leaked report never happened... did screeners find two " suspicious" packs resembling chemical icepacks? Yup. Did they contain a clay-like substance and were they taped together like blocks of C-4? Nope. It was not even remotely true, local TSA Security Director Michael J. Aguilar said.
But, in DC, TSA spokesman Christopher White refused to reconcile the descrepancy between the DC report and what could be expected to be credible eyewitness accounts.
"The information that we have in the report is for official use only and I am not going to discuss our sources," White reportedly told reporters.