Monday Odds and Ends

Yes, I don't normally post on Mondays any more, but I have been summoned for jury duty and so I have some extra time this morning before driving over to the courthouse to exercise my civic responsibility.

Once it's all over, I'll tell you about the jury experience (as Gilahi did a few years back) ... for now, how about a few odds and ends?

It's sort of half-assed snowing outside ... the last gasp (I hope) of this half-assed winter. I remember when I was a child growing up in good old Pittsburgh, PA, where in the winter we had real snow. Of course, when you're a child, even a small snowfall looks like a huge blizzard, but still ... enough of this pusillanimous "wintry mix" crap ... how about a genuine, city-stopping, right-up-to-the-second-floor-windows snow? Is that too much to ask? Evidently so.

From the Department of Interesting Questions We Don't Need to Worry About Answering At This Time comes this poser: Would an American pope lose his U.S. citizenship? This question arose during the lead-up to the recent papal conclave in Rome, when it appeared that American cardinals Timothy Dolan of New York and Sean O' Malley of Boston had an outside chance of election. You can read some of the interesting, but ultimately inconclusive discussion of that question here. I think that if anyone should lose their U.S. citizenship, it's the members of Congress who are soaking up our tax dollars, wasting media time, and breathing air that could be used by Real People without doing their jobs. But that's just me.

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, has announced a $10 million plan to improve Republican outreach in the wake of the party's poor showing in the 2012 elections. According to Mr Priebus, the money will pay for hundreds of staff workers to "communicate conservative principles in cities across the country." He also said that the party doesn't intend to change any of its principles or policies, but rather change the way Republicans communicate those messages. It's a lot of money, but the GOP has deep pockets, if not deep thoughts. Perhaps if that money ... and an equivalent amount from the Democratic National Committee ... were spent on some serious bipartisan working sessions to address the nation's problems, rather than the party's self-generated image problems, it would be a better investment. But that's just me.

Congressman Mike Rogers (R, Michigan), the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI ... or "hip-see," in Washington-speak), has questioned the stability of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un following a stream of provocative statements and bellicose behavior from the nuclear-armed hermit kingdom. He failed to mention Kim's sober discussion of the issues with noted international statesman Dennis Rodman ...

That's all for now ... time to have some breakfast before heading over to the courthouse for today's excitement. More, and better, thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo