George W. Bush Loves Michael Jackson!

Very clever essay by William Rivers Pitt.

Let's also remember that this is November, "sweeps month," a TV rating period. It only happens several times a year. Anytime eyeballs suddenly flock to the TV during a rating period, TV execs are high-fiving each other and planning how to buy newer houses, bigger boats, etc.

So what if the way they get 'em is a result of death, destruction, child molestation, ignorance, greed. Not a problem when you're employed in America's glamour industry.

-M!

I Know What You're Thinking

You're wondering: just how much is Mr. Nice Guy enjoying this Michael Jackson thing???

Answer: a lot.
A whole freaking lot.

I dunno if he's guilty (hee, hee) and if any jury would convict him if he is (...starstruck goofs...Cochran-esque, hi-paid lawyers dazzling/confusing them...Liz Tayor testifying for him...), but it's gonna be interesting to watch.

Hopefully not a circus like the OJ trial and hopefully justice prevailing at the end.

Prepare for fun.
More later.

-M!

Vouchers

From a news release yesterday, I think this sums up the matter quite nicely.

"School voucher programs divert desperately needed funds from public education, endanger religious liberty, lack accountability, and fail to give parents real choice. The very serious problems facing American public schools today are not addressed by giving private school vouchers to a handful of students, leaving the vast majority behind. Above all, D.C. parents and the city council have spoken out in overwhelming opposition to vouchers...."

"At a time when Congress is unwilling to meet its promise to our nation's most impoverished public schools by fully funding the No Child Left Behind Act, [we urge] House and Senate conferees to oppose school vouchers and ensure a quality public education for all."

-Rabbi David Saperstein
Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

-M!

Missions, Visions, Values, Baloney

Below is a wonderful item from the 11/19 issue of The Onion. Send-up of all the nonsensical mission statements and vision statements and core value statements and horse manure statements we see all over the place these days.

"The world
is built
on
bullshit"

Donut Shop's Mission Statement Awfully Ambitious

FREEHOLD, NJ—Patrons at Dotty's Donuts on Cranston Avenue agree that the mission statement posted near the shop's entrance seems overly ambitious. "It said, 'At Dotty's, our goal is to reinvent the morning,'" Dotty's patron Ken Mentilli said. "'Dotty's Donuts are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and a ray of light into your soul.' That seems like a tall order for a donut shop." Mentilli added that Dotty's may not be able to deliver on its promise to "change the world, one fresh-baked bear claw at a time."

-M!

Fair Use Notice

"An Incoherent Moron"

1) Bill Gallagher column in today's Niagara Falls Reporter.

2) James Howard Gibbons column in today's Houston Chronicle.

-M!

Dispatches from Wal-Mart's Front Lines

Excellent item from Stan Cox at AlterNet.

"Past and present 'associates' offer a candid and often disturbing look at life
behind the big yellow Wal-Mart happy face."

What a surprise:
it sucks to work
at Wal-Mart!

I try to shop there as little as possible...but sometimes it's tough for those of us who must shop price.

-M!