The Mosque at Ground Zero
The “mosque at Ground Zero” isn’t. It isn’t a mosque and it isn’t at Ground Zero. Or at least that’s what I’ve heard. Whether it’s a mosque or a Muslim cultural center or whatever, a map in one report clearly showed the proposed structure is three blocks from Ground Zero. Seems to me that pretty much makes the mosque/center just another building in central NYC. Now if there’s reason to think Muslim extremists from overseas are financing the mosque, perhaps somebody should be investigating that. But as far as it being “a mosque at Ground Zero” being built to make a political statement of some kind, just chill.
Extending Unemployment Benefits
There’s a flap in Washington about whether to approve an extension of unemployment benefits. Yes, you could argue that such benefits create dependency in some people. That will always be the case, regardless of how long the benefits last. Doesn’t seem to me that’s a valid reason not to help the non-deadbeats. Besides, doesn’t everyone shell out some payroll taxes to help pay for it? I’ve been unemployed a couple of times myself. The first time, I was confident I could get another job within a couple of months, and it never occurred to me to file for unemployment, even though I was entitled to. But the second time it happened, I was much older and, as it turned out, not so employable. I was reluctant to file (pride, you know), but I really had no choice. I exhausted the benefits, was still unemployed and getting a little desperate when a relative stepped in to help. Anyway, unless you’ve been there, don’t be too quick to judge whether people deserve unemployment benefits.
BP Oil Spill
That new cap BP put on its gushing Gulf well a few days ago is still holding and my fingers are getting seriously cramped from being crossed so hard. I still keep thinking it’s going to blow out suddenly, unexpectedly, and catastrophically, when some weak spot deep down in the well finally decides it just can’t hold on any longer. I wish they’d get busy drawing off some of the oil to keep the pressure from building any more. The pressure on the cap of a shaken bottle of pop will hold steady … until it can’t. Then, without warning, you have pop spewing all over the room.
Alvin Greene
Alvin Greene, that Republican senate candidate in South Carolina, has given his first campaign speech. His candidacy is so bizarre, I don’t even know where to begin. Who is he? Where did an uneducated, unemployed guy facing criminal charges get the money to run? Beats me. But I hope someone is writing a book about this and all the other weird political stuff that’s happened in SC in the last couple of years. I really think there’s something in their water.
Racism in the Tea Party
So the NAACP says the Tea Party Movement has racist elements, as evidenced by some tasteless signs at its gatherings. A Tea Party Express spokesman, Mark Williams, shot back that the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was obviously a racist organization. Well, duh. I imagine most large organizations contain a racist or two, whether they know it or not. Now, if the name-calling is over, and since a certain Tea Party spokesman (Williams himself) has been fired, can we move on?
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson, who are you? In your private life, it appears you might be a real ass. Or that your girlfriend might be an extortionist. Or both. Doesn’t matter. Keep making movies and I’ll probably keep watching.
A Whale
And in case you hadn’t heard, A Whale, that big cargo ship retrofitted to be an oil skimmer, has been deemed too big to operate efficiently in the Gulf of Mexico spill. It cannot maneuver as nimbly as smaller boats to retrieve the scattered small patches of oil now present. Aren’t dispersants wonderful?