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This has got to be the quote of the year so far; congressman chas wrangle, dem from ny, was asked what he thought of pres bush. "Well, this black congressman said, I think he really shatters the myth of white supremacy once and for all. "

Next item: attny gen alberto Gonzales testified before some house committee, but refused to do so under oath. While refusing, he did reassure us that he would have said the same thing even if under oath. Hey, berto baby, if you would testify exactly the same under oath or not under oath, why not take the oath? Got a bridge you’d like to sell us? Looks to me like our chief lawyer is making every lawyer joke you’ve ever heard seem right on.

Next item: wow, denmark made the news. I challenge you. When was the last time denmark was in the news? Some Danish newspaper publkished a cartoon besmirching the prophet mohammed and the people in the muslim world are having a good ole time rioting in their streets. 2 things we can learn from this. 1-the ordinary muslim in the arab world really does have differing values than the average man in the west. The muslims will riot if their religion is defiled. In the usa today we wont riot in the streets over anything at all. Even as our precious liberty and freedoms are stolen from us, even as our entire election process is choked to death, we wont go out into the streets. The 2nd take home lesson is that if there is a street demonstration in the arab world, their govt has approved it. Even the poorest arab govts have machine guns, tanks, and helicopters. We should know, we sold or even gave em to em. A few people in the streets may have assault rifles, but the vast majority have only sticks and rocks. Arab govts could stop the riots in minutes if they wanted to. But it’s a very safe way to let the people blow off steam while not threatening the elite who rule them. The arab govts should hire more Danish cartoonists to draw more inflammatory cartoons. It’s the best thing that has happened for the arab govts in years. Now that I think of it, its also the best thing that has happened to the bush govt as well. The front pages and worlds attention is now focused on street riots in the muslim world. I can see karl rove making notes. Keep cartoonists on staff. Next time we get caught screwing up, just have our press publish some cartoon derotagory to islam and presto, we’re off the front pages, as the world focuses on street riots, the Islamic version of the super bowl.

Next item: In this mornings news, it was announced that the worlds wealthy govts and banks, assuming for the moment that there is a difference between govt and banks, anyway, the grand mucky mucks have forgiven the afghan govt all of its debt. Just like that, the afghans don’t owe no body nothing. Nice gesture. Makes one wonder: if they can do that for afghaninstan, why not do it for all the other 3^rd world nations who must eliminate all social services for their desperately poor people in order to service their international debts?. Isn’t that what that recent jubilee movement was all about? Why Afghanistan and no other poor nations? I report, you speculate.

Next item: ok, im going to blow my image. Im a sports fan. Yes I am. Having revealed my loosely guarded secret, lets talk about the super bowl. Since it’s the one of the most widely watched event on the worlds television sets, and most watchers have no real appreciation for the sport itself, we can separate the event into two parts, the game and the advertisements. Comment on the game first. For those of you who really don’t understand football, there are actually 2 contests. One is muscle against muscle, brute force and guile. The Seattle seahawks won that battle easily. Their muscle guys pushed the pittsburg steelers all over the field, all game long. But the other game within the game is the finesse players against the other guys finesse players. Pittsburg didn’t win that battle either, as much as seattle gave it to them. Seattle’s finesse players made mistake after mistake, with much help from their coaches. The seattle coaching staff should hang their collective heads in shame. They flat out blew it. Mike holmgren not only looks like a walrus, in this game, he coached like one. And so, yet another super bowl was decidedly less than super. Now to the important part of the super bowl, the advertising, which is the real reason networks fight to host the event and many of you watch. I notice a trend. Less corporate ads, more ads about upcoming movies, and most ads were from the station itself, hyping their upcoming tv season. Nothing special at all, just the usual tv crap. I wondered if that was because there were less corporations willing to shell out the big bucks for super bowl ads than in the past and the networks had to toss in their own boring ads as filler. Whatever the reason, I see the paucity of really creative and humorous super bowl ads as yet another sign of the decline of western civilization. Yet another signpost of The end of the American empire. But one positive note on the not so super bowl: the organizers finally got it right concerning the half time show. No pop stars of the moment who have little appeal inside the us and almost none worldwide, no accidentally bared breasts by singers who otherwise would have no fame whatsoever. Half time was simply, and completely: the rolling stones. Brilliant.

Whats that? You are weary of politics and want more sports? Ok. For those sac kings fans who have given up on this years underachieving version of da boyz. Time to tune in again. In one of the miracles that is pro sports, one new guy can, and has, made a difference. New king ron artest has brought a whole new level of attitude and hustle into a moribund group and the kings are again fun to watch. I say, hallelujah. Go kings.

Next item: dateline wash dc: President George W. Bush was scheduled to visit the Methodist Church outside Washington. Karl Rove made a visit to the Bishop and said to him, "We've been getting a lot of bad publicity among Methodists because of Bush's position on stem cell research, the War, and such. I'll gladly make a contribution to the church of $100,000 if during your sermon, you'd say the President is a saint."   The Bishop thinks it over for a few moments and says, "The Church is in desperate need of funds. I will do it."   Bush pompously shows up that following Sunday, looking especially smug, smirking for his photo ops, while strutting his way, cowboy-style, into the church.   As the sermon starts, the Bishop begins his homily:   "George Bush is a petty, self-absorbed hypocrite as well as a nitwit. He is a liar, a cheat, probably still a drunk, and a low-intelligence sneaky weasel. He has lied about his military record, and then had the gall to put himself in uniform on a military jet, landing on a carrier, and then posing before a banner stating 'Mission Accomplished'.   "He invaded a country for oil and money, all the while lying to the American people about the war, with nary a care for the thousands of lives it has taken and continues to take. He is the worst example of a Methodist I've ever personally known or known of.   But compared to Dick Cheney, George Bush is a saint."