reyonthehill

Tony Auth on the Iraq distraction...

Image: goComics

- The diocese of San Diego will "file for bankruptcy protection to put off going to trial in more than 140 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests." One hundred, forty.

- A veteran of the Iraq war lost his leg in the war, but he wasn't supposed to be allowed to serve, because he is gay.

- MSNBC's Joe Scarborough thinks Al Gore should run in 2008, which means pretty much nothing.

- And Cheney, while being quoted anonymously, accidentally speaks of himself in first person... "'Let me just make one editorial comment here,' the [senior administration] official said. 'I’ve seen some press reporting says, 'Cheney went in to beat up on them, threaten them.' That’s not the way I work. I don’t know who writes that, or maybe somebody gets it from some source who doesn’t know what I’m doing, or isn’t involved in it. But the idea that I’d go in and threaten someone is an invalid misreading of the way I do business.'"

While shopping at a grocery store last night I realized how much food there actually is. As I strolled the aisles, I wondered, "Who the hell buys all this stuff?" And then as I briefly watched other shoppers, I noticed the things they went for, items I would never imagine myself (or anyone else, for that matter) purchasing. I had never thought people actually ate these foods, but then again, I've been regarded as a "picky" eater. Yea so, I like my burrito, super asada, guacamole and hot sauce. That doesn't mean I'm any less of a person.

I also realized that the grocery store I was shopping in was pretty ghetto (not in the true sense of the word, but as pop-culture defines it; you know what I mean), and I really need to start shopping at a better grocery store, but the nice one is fifteen minutes or so away. And for most items, not including meat, fruit, vegetables, bread, etc., there is no god-damned difference between the foods sold at different stores. Except the prices, but that is a whole different subject.

I used to work at a grocery store while in high school, for a relatively long period of time, and I have an understanding of the inner-workings of medium-sized grocery stores. (I still remember the PLU codes for produce. Bananas, 4011; green grapes, 4022; red grapes, 4023; small oranges, 4013; large oranges, 4012; I could go on and on. I am not proud, trust me; alright, a little.) That is why it pains me to see cashiers and baggers be so lazy and clueless as to how to correctly and efficiently pack my groceries. Paper in plastic, please. I always end up doing it myself. No, you don't need to place the three rolls of paper towels in a separate paper bag, plastic will be just fine for that. Use some judgment. And why are people scared of putting gallons of milk in plastic bags? The only way the bag will break is if the person starts whipping it around like some weapon or something. I still place two gallons in double plastic, and not once have the bags ripped. (Plastic sure has changed over the years.)

Why don't most grocery stores give all shoppers the discounts they offer to "club" members? Membership is free anyway. How much do these corporate organizations get for selling your phone number or personal information? Or are they truly creating a database of every purchase I've made? If they are, I wouldn't really mind that much, as long as I save ten cents per pound.

- VP Dick Cheney may have been the target of a suicide attack in Afghanistan. I thought the war in Afghanistan was over.

- The democrats are unsure how to move forward, legislatively, in Iraq.

- Laura Bush is not so smart for a librarian.

- And a new poll suggests "being over the age of 72, a Mormon, twice divorced or a smoker all are bigger drags on a candidate's support than is gender or race," which is good news for Hillary and Obama, and bad news for the leading republican contenders.

Following Al Gore's Oscar win last night, I commented on Jake Tapper's blog...

I honestly don't know what Al Gore is thinking if he doesn't run in 2008. On another note, has there ever been a "losing" presidential candidate this popular six years later, almost to the level that people, albeit "Hollywood-types," are begging him to run?

- Al Gore finally had a chance to deliver an acceptance speech after his film "An Inconvenient Truth" won an Oscar. What will he do for an encore?

- Jury tampering may be in the works in the Libby CIA Leak case. Well, that is how I interpret it.

- If I had only gotten myself excited about contextual text ads five years ago, I'd be filthy rich right now.

- And an upcoming "documentary claims the bones of Jesus, his mother Mary, father Joseph, and Mary Magdalene — who some say was his wife — were found in a tomb." God bless America.

Just felt a 3.4-magnitude earthquake (hit at 3:46pm). I am on the ninth floor of an historic building in downtown Berkeley. This was the first earthquake I have felt since changing jobs. The earthquake was centered two miles southeast of here. Pretty damn close.

It was a short pulse, more of a push than a roll. The shaking lasted about three seconds, give or take.

Dick Cheney on invading Iraq (circa 1991)...

"The notion that we ought to now go to Baghdad and somehow take control of the country strikes me as an extremely serious one in terms of what we'd have to do once we got there. You'd probably have to put some new government in place. It's not clear what kind of government that would be, how long you'd have to stay. For the U.S. to get involved militarily in determining the outcome of the struggle over who's going to govern in Iraq strikes me as a classic definition of a quagmire."

Gary Markstein on Bush's (now damp) security blanket...

Image: Time.com

- Turncoat Joe Lieberman may join the GOP because of the "Democratic opposition to funding the war in Iraq."

- Giuliani is using a Bush technique by only attending friendly gatherings.

- MP3 was invented by someone who wants money they're due, including $1.52 from Microsoft.

- And democrats are "drafting legislation that would effectively revoke the broad authority granted to the president in the days Saddam Hussein was in power, and leave U.S. troops with a limited mission as they prepare to withdraw."