Stating The Obvious: Us Against Them Mentality Just Not Helpful

Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment, since I'm still reading the news and political blogs.

I linked from one blog to another and ran across this post, berating Keith Olbemann for reading the saucy emails from Governor Mark Sanford to his mistress, and taking such delight in them. Along with Olbermann's schadenfreude, the article also points out how he showed no concern for the wife and children in doing so.

I'd like to applaud the article, and say that maybe we're not so different after all, that American citizens of both political parties are tired of this crap. Then there was the snark that ruined it: “Attacking women and children is the vanguard of the Republicans”. This instantly turned what could've been a compassionate article showing what's wrong on both sides (left and right), into another swipe at the Republicans.

Personally, I don't care about politician's extra-marital affairs. I don't care if they're Democrats or Republicans. It's wrong, regardless of party affiliation. However, if they're able to do their job (I realize this is highly relative, given we're talking about politicians), I don't care what they do in their private lives.

That's not to say I condone it. It's wrong, and horrible for the other family members involved. The media is unethical in gloating the way Olbermann did (as many others have done before him), but let's face it, the person responsible for the family's pain and humiliation is the one who committed the deed.

Some point out that if they're willing to lie about an extra-marital affair, then what else are they lying about? What else indeed. We're talking about politicians here, and regardless of political affiliation, their default position is generally dishonest. Besides, how many people out there are going to tell the truth about an affair? Do you really expect them to?

As a side note: I love how it's assumed by the media that if you're conservative, you're also a Holy Roller. And don't they just love catching someone who has “conservative” values or “religious” values in the act of something sordid. So much spicier, if it's a hypocrite.

Fact is, human beings are going to screw up. Knowing this doesn't make it acceptable, and obviously being a hypocrite isn't good either, but there's nothing wrong with having these values to guide you, or to strive for. It's better than saying, “No point in having any morals or values since we're just going to booger it up anyway. Only human, you know!”

Anyway, getting back to the article above. The comments section, as usual, was venomous. All the usual toxic spittle about conservatives being hateful, sadistic, hypocritical, etc. It was a dogpile inciting every crazy out there. Which seems to be the case whether it's a liberal or conservative news outlet, blog, or pundit.

There's no unbiased media anymore. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I want to believe there's more middle of the road Americans than the media portrays. We're just overshadowed by the screamers on each polarized side.

Surreal Life Imitates Art?

Oh no they di'aaaahhhnnnnt!

Oh yes. They did.

MSNBC.com reported this today:

PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly

I was just kidding yesterday, when I asked why there's no outcry from PETA over Obama's fly swatting.

I think I'm going to stop reading the news entirely, and become a hermit. The world is officially insane.

President Kills Fly, MSM Thinks It's News

CNN Headline:

Fly bugs Obama, so he coolly smacks it

Why is this news, and why is it on the front page of cnn.com, no less?

Where's the outcry from PETA about fly abuse, and why aren't they proposing humane ways to euthanize insects?

I think CNN could've spiced up the story. It would've been better if they reported he gave the smack down to some bad guys. Like maybe he was out getting a Slurpee, interrupted a holdup at the local 711, then used his mad karate skillz and laser-vision to apprehend the thieves.

It's not like the media's interested in ethical reporting anyway.

So what's the verdict here? Was it intended as a human interest story, a goofy "hey look how tuff he is on flies" story, or just more MSM sycophantic infatuation?

Itchy and Scratchy

Hey folks! I know, I've been neglecting you again.

So I'm preparing for a visit from Sis and her kids. The spare room is prepared, towels have been washed (can't have funky towels), the house is mostly clean. So in about 8 hours, KITTENWATCH 2009 begins, as Leonidas will be very excited to meet new people (he's always excited to meet new people) and will have some new feet to attack. But, he must be watched, as he is quite small and not the 200 pound jungle cat he seems to think he is.

Dude has certainly been a handful – he loves the fridge and the pantry – once you open either one, he's instantly there, ready to pounce on some coffee filters, cereal boxes or last night's leftovers. He's actually more of a furry projectile rather than a kitten.

Also, I've forgotten how much kittens make me itch. I woke up last Friday with some kind of blepharitis/eye goo issue from scratching my eyes too aggressively. I spent the weekend cleaning my eyeballs out 6 times a day and coating them with petroleum jelly to keep the itch down. And moisturize. By the way, I highly recommend Aquaphor. Thankfully, it subsided by Sunday and I was able to get through the day without clawing at my face.

Because of this, I undid all the great work of my current face cream. For about 3 months now, I've been using some new stuff my dermatologist gave me (I might write about it later), that promotes new collagen. My skin looked fantastic, especially under my eyes. Now I've got all my creases and bags back.

And! As a special treat! I woke up today with several red, itchy bumps on my cheek. I can't tell if they're mosquito bites, or just red, scary zits. You know, the kind that lurk just under your skin and never come to a head. You can still feel the lump under your skin a few months after they disappear from the surface. I'm falling apart, I tell you.

What Weekend?

I'm recovering from a non-weekend.

I cleaned house on Saturday, then had an install for work that evening. Since the only time you can make changes to an application is off hours, I didn't sleep much.

I knew I'd be working at 2am. I tried to catch a few hours before that, but for the first time in forever, I was wide awake. Probably nerves, since it was a high visibility change. So I stayed up til 2am, had a pot of coffee, and worked thru til 11am the next day.

You'd think I'd be ready to sleep, right? Nope.

Maybe it was too much coffee, or maybe I just expected that dreaded phone call from our command center telling me servers were in flames. Either way, I didn't get back to bed til 10pm last night.

It's Monday and I still feel like crap. You know you're getting old when it takes several days to recover from an all-nighter. In my twenties I could do that, no problem. Now, not so much.

Here Comes Trouble

We've Leo-proofed the house, but it's surprising how much trouble something so small can get into.

The little squirt's been investigating every single corner of the house. Bouncing. He doesn't toddle anymore, just runs full speed or bounces.

If there's the smallest crevice anywhere, he'll try to stick his head in it. 10 points if it's got wires.

He even managed to scoot under my desk sideboard, a space of about 3 inches high. There's now a fat Linux book jammed there now. I knew I'd find a good use for that old manual.

In other news....

Yesterday, I finally bought some veggies for the garden. Normally, I plant them in late April or early May, but we've had such late frost (I had to scrape my car windows just last week), and if it's not freezing, it's pouring down rain.

I planted 2 tomatoes, a jalapeno, chili pepper, basil and rosemary. And it dropped to freezing temps again last night. It's June 1st for criminy's sake!! We shouldn't have any temperatures below 50!

Still, the plants look okay this morning. Thankfully it's sunny, and the high should be around 72.

I'll have to wait for the end of August for those delicious, home grown tomato sandwiches!