Is this really front page news? With so many other things going on it would seem to me that Lilo’s latest foible wouldn’t even make the front page of the entertainment section. Unfortunately, the opposite is true and it would appear that every media outlet is running full coverage as though a different outcome was expected or deserved.

Maybe it’s more simple than that – maybe the American people need a comedic relief from all the pain and suffering that they’ve been going through in recent months. Speculation of a double-dip recession, concerns about the environment, concerns about BP dumping millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, and even concerns about mainstream, oft-trusted companies like Johnson & Johnson poisoning their children. Maybe America does need a break; because it just doesn’t seem like Lindsay Lohan going to jail for 90 days should be this big of a deal.

More of my two cents.

Ranter

In a move that is sure to strike fear in every child’s heart, Santa Clara County (California) has voted to ban toys and other promotions that are commonly offered with high-calorie kid’s meals – often called by the McDonald’s moniker of Happy Meals.

“This ordinance prevents restaurants from preying on children’s’ love of toys” to sell high-calorie, unhealthful food, said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored the measure. “This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes.”

I can’t be the only one tired of reading stories and hearing news about the Tiger Woods’ “transgressions.” Every day there is some new “story” about how Tiger failed. Some reminder that he’s not perfect. Is it tragic – absolutely. Is it front page, leading-story newsworthy – absolutely not. He’s a human being and regardless of what you think for having bought into the brand of Tiger Woods he is no less deserving of common decency and respect than the next person. Just because he is a public figure doesn’t give the media and America the right to smear his name across the headline of every news story, and frankly, if you can’t respect him as an individual, have some compassion and respect for his wife and family. It is Elin that was wronged here, not America.

It’s time to move along folks – this story is well past its 15 minutes.

ranter

Too big for Lincoln University?

Hey fatty; yes you, the one with more lard in your ass than a micro-bus, you’re going to have to work just a little harder to get your college degree from Lincoln University in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because good grades are no longer good enough. That’s right, this “Historically Black University that combines the best Elements of a liberal arts and sciences” is leading the charge in the battle against obesity by requiring all students with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, which generally defines obesity, to take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Don’t complete the class? Don’t graduate.

I’m no one to question anyone’s religion, but I do question Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin and his decision to ban Rep Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, because of Kennedy’s support for abortion rights.

Kennedy was recently quoted as saying, “The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion; that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I’ve taken as a public official.”  And, while it’s probably below the belt, I will continue to wonder how Tobin feels about his peers that are being convicted of raping children as part of their work with God.  Do they deserve forgiveness and communion?

Apparently reading about Sarah Palin and seeing her plastered across every news outlet in America wasn’t enough.  Now we have to read about her daughter Bristol, 18, becoming another unwed mother on welfare.  When did this become okay?  More importantly, when did an unwed, Alaskan teen having a baby became national front page news?  This families’ 15 minutes of fame are up.

The good news, though, is that it gets better.  I’m actually quite surprised that we haven’t seen this family on Jerry Springer, but perhaps that will be next.  If you believe the RNC she’ll be running for office again at some point in the future…

So anyway, in case you were fortunate enough to miss the brief, Bristol Palin’s baby-daddy is “former high school hockey player” Levi Johnston, also 18.  His mother, Sherry, was recently arrested on multiple felony drug counts after she sent a pair of text messages to police informants discussing drug transactions.  Meanwhile, back in Wasilla, Bristol continues studying for her GED while her baby-daddy works as an apprentice electrician.  Of course, governor Sarah Palin’s office declines to comment on anything (probably for fear that it will end up on YouTube), which will simply leave us to speculate.

Senator Larry Craig (R) Idaho plead guilty to disorderly conudct last year after he was arrested in a Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport bathroom by an undercover policeman who claimed Senator Craig solicited him for sex.  As part of his plea, Senator Craig denied the solicitation charges and said that he is not a homosexual.

What’s interesting about this is that Senator Larry Craig is back in the news today, after the Minnesota appeals court ruled that his rights weren’t violated before denying his bid to withdraw the guilty plea that he made earlier.  For those of you that watch the television show Boston Legal, this case may strike a chord, because the solicitation chage stemmed from Craig was arrested based on tapping his foot and moving it toward a neighboring bathroom stall occupied by another person, in this case an undercover officer.  Gentlemen – remember these things for future reference, because you never know what a public bathroom experience is going to reveal.

I’m a parent.  I have two beautiful children that make every day worth living.  I also use the internet – obsessively – and want my children to grow up and use the internet to improve their education and provide entertainment.  But, the internet is a cruel, cruel place, and a significant amount of training will be given before my children get free reign on the world-wide-web.  Unfortunately for them, the first thing I am going to put significant limits on is social media services like instant messaging, web-camming, etc., because I believe these are the places that pose the biggest threats and frighten me the most.

You’re probably wondering why I am writing this, and many of you would understand just by reading Abraham Biggs name.  Abraham Biggs was a 19-year-old Broward College student who committed suicide on a live webcam this week.  Live on the internet and message logs showed that some members of the virtual audience encouraged him to do it, while some even went so far as to discuss whether he was taking a dose big enough to kill himself.  This was a live person and a live audience.  A few viewers tried to discourage him, but nobody picked up the phone and called police until it was too late – hours too late.  It sickens me to think that people watched this man die and didn’t think to lift a finger to help.

Another new report – another obvious conclusion.  A government report released today paints a somewhat disconcerting new picture of an unstable America and reduced American influence as India and China continue to grow.

“Although the United States is likely to remain the single most powerful actor, the United States’ relative strength — even in the military realm — will decline and U.S. leverage will become more constrained,” says the report, which is the fourth in a series from the Intelligence Council.

Obviously, I don’t give the Intelligence Coucil a lot of weight, but I do believe that they’re on to something, noting that the the world will continue shrinking and natural resources will become increasingly scarce in the years to come. Their argument that the world is in the midst of an unprecedented “transfer of global weath and power” from west to east is sound and as we continue to transfer manufacturing, mining, and intelligence labor to other countries the United States will simply be a military force and holder of other people’s money.  It’s hard not to understand or see the logic in what we’re saying, and the reasons behind it, from this chair, are quite obvious.

If you had asked me yesterday what India’s Navy has done lately I probably would have asked if you were kidding.  It had never even occurred to me that India has a navy.  Well, apparently they do and the Associated Press is reporting that they apparently know how to use their navy, too.

For those of you that haven’t been following world events, a new Saidu supertanker was captured Saturday more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya.  The MC Sirius Star was home to 25 crew and approximately $100 million in crude oil cargo, not to mention the cost of the new supertanker itself.  In the first real sign of retribution that I’ve read of, the New Delhi Associated Press is reporting that the Indian navy sank a suspected pirate “mother ship” before chasing too attack boats off into the darkness.  These mother ships are apparently little launch pads for the pirates, allowing them to head off into deeper and deeper waters.  Ultimately they will ransom off the crew, boat and cargo, which keeps them in business.