Once more, there is proof that a member of Congress is better and more privileged than you and me. I admit to walking up to a cop and hitting him=Jail. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (Innocent Victim (ie, Democrat)-GA) admits to walking up to a cop and hitting him=free pass.

Politicians do not care about you or this thing you call "Justice." They care only about how much they can squeeze out of the lobbyist in the waiting room and reelection (so they can get even more money.

And just where are the Liberals on this? If Karl Rove had hit a cop they would be demanding the death penalty.

From the 60s on, I have been a comic book fan. My favorite comics were Justice League. Every summer the Justice League would team up with the Golden Age Justice Society. From the first team up I ever read, I have been fascinated by the heroes of the late 30s and 40s. Roy Thomas came along and wrote The Invaders. Back then, finding comics in Fredericksburg was a hit or miss affair. The local store might get every issue of a Batman and Superman, and maybe even Spider-man, but it seldom got every issue of anything else. Nonetheless, I enjoyed The Invaders. When Thomas went over to DC and create All-Star Squadron, I was living in Austin close to a comic shop and bought the entire run, along with all the back issues of The Invaders. The All-Star Squadron, made their headquarters in the Trylon and Perisphere on the 1939 World's Fair Grounds.

I suppose Raiders of the Lost Ark, Bring 'em Back Alive, and Tales of the Gold Monkey fed this fascination with all things 30s.

Last month, at the local library book sale, I picked up 1939: The Lost World of the Fair by David Gelernter. Decorated with the Trylon and Perisphere, I couldn't stop myself from picking it up.

Now, halfway through, I have to say that I'm impressed. It's an odd amalgam of social criticism, history and love story that is oddly compelling. Gelernter tells the story of a young couple touring the fair, mixing it with the history of the fair and the pavilions, and his anti-modern societal commentary. While I expected a walk through of the fair, and the book falls short on that, I didn't expect to find myself learning so much about the customs of the 30s, and I couldn't be happier.

I'm still trying to declutter, and get rid of as many books as I can. I have put about 12 up on Amazon, but there's no activity. So, I thought Why not promote the books on my blog? I know, I have ads on the right, and ads on the left, why in the heck would I put an ad here?

Mainly because there's too much stuff on Amazon.

I have put up for sale a like new copy of Star Trek: Action! for a measly $4.99. If your collection is incomplete, head on over. If you're interested in film and TV production, here's a great textbook. And if you find something else to buy, hey! we should all read more.

Should we be Surprised?

The government accounting office is investigating as much as $16 billion in fraudulent charges to FEMA's debit cards after Hurricane Katrina. You remember hurricane Katrina, don't you? It's the first storm that changed the victims from victims to wards of the state.

Stung by criticisms that it wasn't doing enough to help the victims, to get the bodies of the raped and murdered children out of the Superdome, and bring law and order to the city, FEMA handed out debit cards to just about anyone who applied for one. They gave debit cards to people who claimed their primary residence, a PO Box, was damaged. Even people in Alabama got them. Some debit cards paid for strippers, one a cruise, one for Dom Perignon champagne in Houston, and one was used to fund a sex change operation.

Come on, people. What did you expect? Over the last decades, we let the government become one huge cash cow that doles out money to anyone who applies. And as we nuzzle at the teat of the public trough, they tax us out the wazoo for it. Your mailman bothered your dog? Sue the Feds. A thunderstorm flooded your basement? Apply for flood relief. Victimized in any way, and are non-white? There's a fund set up for you.

The "victims" did what I do when I come in to extra bash: buy stuff I don't need. Hell, I have a list twenty items long of what to buy when I match four numbers on the lottery. And why not? Some school districts are putting tvs onto school buses and letting companies beam advertising directly into the vehicle. From the moment they leave the house until the last second they linger getting off the bus, they are subjected to a constant stream of ads. And since its TV, and it is a law (I'm sure) that you must watch a TV when it is on, they keep their eyes glued to the screen.

Whew!

Hey! How did I wind up over here?

Why so blue, Teddy Bear?

Does anyone else find this Milky Way commercial a bit disturbing? Dude gets rejected by his date at her door and he returns to his car, where he imagines the bar is a big-breasted hot chick who understands him. Then he eats her!?

Is Milky Way an oral sex substitute? (Paging Dr. Freud!) Is it a substitute for sex? Is it a good thing that the guy actually eats tiny women? Has NOW seen this ad?

Frankly, if the guy talks to his candy bars, it's probably a good thing his date is safely indoors.

Did anyone notice that while Congress increased penalties for "obscenities" on TV, they didn't actually define what obscene actually is?

So a mostly bare breast is obscene. Dead bodies on Iraqi streets? Not so much. Anthony Bourdain offing a pig on Cook's Tour is obscene and cannot be shown, But Dennis Franz's butt is okay?

I wonder what happened to Freedom of Speech.

Or, do you suppose this is an election year stunt? Like Immigration? Like Gay Marriage? Like free beer for me? Oh, wait. That was what I dreamed last night. Sorry.