Around Here By Leo Coughlin Nobody asked me, but - . . . One local city missed out on obtaining the service of a top-flight professional because of the meddling arrogance of an elected official. Too bad that a city and its people suffer because of one individual. The bright side? March is seven months away and a change can (and should) be made. . . . President Bush, with Iraq, is caught in the same dilemma that bedeviled Presidents Johnson and Nixon in Vietnam - As Nixon said, "We simply cannot tell the mothers of our casualties - that it was all to no purpose." . . . How much longer can Largo taxpayers, already strapped, afford to pay TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS A WEEK for the white elephant Cultural Center? Another question - what culture? It's a sink hole enterprise for the artsy craftsy crowd whose motto is to spend your money for their enjoyment. . . . Have you ever noticed? Congress doesn't seem to get much done, but those jokers never miss a recess or a pay raise. . . . We recognize that standards on the public airwaves are lower now than they have ever been. But the hope here is that Tucker Carlson, the snippy little girlie-boy on MSNBC, will not get away with the terrible word he used to characterize women on July 11. We are not going to repeat (God forbid!) the word here but anyone speaking this way should not be allowed to broadcast. . . . If Bill Young does not run for re-election to his congressional seat, his wife, Beverly, will be in the running. . . . Our observant friend notes two girls in Oklahoma ages 10 and 12 were arrested for kidnaping a baby and demanding a $200,000 ransom. Remember the good old days when kids would just open a lemonade stand to make some extra money? . . . You saw, I am sure, where the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is shelling out $650 million (more than half a billion dollars!) to victims of priests who were homosexual rapists of young boys and who were aided and abetted in many cases by bishops. And where do you suppose all that money comes from? Right - people who attend church. Disgusting! . . . Another example of a dying church - the cardinal archbishop of Boston (successor to the cardinal archcriminal, Bernard Law) is contemplating closing more parishes. The ranks of priests are steadily depleting. . . . Those at the Indian Rocks Beach meeting July 10 were shocked to hear a man's religion and ethnicity brought into a discussion about city business and signage. Too nasty and ugly to go into details here, but such slurs cannot have any part of public discourse. Maybe one more nail in the coffin of the guilty party (next March will be judgment time). . . . What's wrong with this picture? - The Iraqi parliament, which meets in air conditioned quarters, is taking the month of August off because "it gets so hot in Baghdad - 130 degrees." American soldiers - our guys - will be out in the heat, fully laden with uniforms, flak vests, weapons and backpacks. . . . One elected poohbah in a discussion during a public meeting referring to the distance a facility should be from residences, spoke of "square feet" when "linear" or just plain "feet" would have done it, illustrating once again the low state of talent and ability that has been reached with these small town politicians. The only qualification seems to be able to get one's name on a ballot. For shame. . . . AMG writes and asks, "Why would some two-bit popinjay get in a running dispute with someone who buys ink by the barrel?" You got me, AMG. I guess it is to test the quality of one's patience and mercy. . . . The rumbling now is that there will be big changes come next March in one local city. The burghers are tired of the silliness and wasting of time, they say, from a leading pol. That city is in pitiable shape, drifting and virtually leaderless with evident plans to spend lots of money that just ain't there. Shame, too, because it used to be a dandy place. . . . Here's a good one - one local incumbent politician has tried to talk a possible contender out of running against said incumbent - not out of fear of losing, but said incumbent does not want to spend the money to campaign. Unbelievable, hey? But true. Return to Home Page Return to Current Edition Contact us