This one about sums up the '08 race

Too bad this is the meal that we are being served by the '08 elections. Anyway, I got a kick out of it.

Some travel rants

Yesterday, we flew to Los Angeles out of Philadelphia, with a connection in Chicago. All things considered, it could have been much worse than it was. Actually, things went pretty well - we arrived in LAX 10 minutes late. Thankfully, we didn't fly out a few days before, or a few days later, because we would have run into some weather delays.

I'm thankful that we arrived safely and pretty much on time, but boy, can air travel be a-n-n-o-y-i-n-g, and it didn't take long to get just that. When you add it all up, traveling is hell.

• If I haven't written it before, and I'm quite sure I have, the breathtakingly annoying TSA employees are the lowlight of any trip. I'm not without sympathy for the job they have to do - I'm really not. Keeping passengers safe and tolerating people who can't follow directions is a tall order under the best of circumstances, let alone when hundreds of thousands of extra people are taking to the air during the holiday season.

Having said all that, competency and pleasantness shouldn't take vacations or holidays. Sadly, that's the reality with many of the obnoxious morons who wear the TSA uniform.

What I really love is when one TSA employee will tell you one thing, and 10 feet further, another one will tell you the exact opposite thing. Case in point: Vandra asked an employee if she could drink her Snapple while standing in line.

"No problem."

We get in line, and a TSA lady is all over us.

"you can't take that in line - they will make you get out of line."

On and on this went for a few minutes, until Vandra had just had enough of it and chugged it before we got in line.

However, our fun was just beginning.

The line was taking forever, and we soon discovered why. First, there was a problem with a woman having something illegal in her bag. And by that I don't mean something dangerous (at least I don't think so). Instead of pulling the woman with the bag aside and performing the appropriate search, the line was at a standstill for well over five minutes.

As we got closer to the front of the line, several people ahead of us, from Mexico (we were ease dropping) had no proper identification. Again, instead of pulling the two people in question out of line, four TSA employees (yes, FOUR) were handling the situation, while the rest of us waited. And Waited. And WAITED.

Finally, an elderly man who was standing behind us impatiently bellowed, "I have to board in 10 minutes!" It took two of the TSA employees about a nanosecond to jump all over him: "SIR! Please be patient!" Unreal.

After Vandra and I placed our many belongings in the gray bins while following their directions to the letter, we walked through the metal detectors. Low and behold, I forgot to feed one of my bags through. As we were putting our shoes back on and loading our belongings back up, here's what one of the TSA agents barked...

"Sir! Is this your bag?!?"

"Yes."

As the snotty agent walked the bag up through the scanner, she snidely remarked, "These bags don't walk themselves through the scanner!"

I felt like shouting back, "Sarcasm isn't going to get it through, either." Seriously, was that really necessary? I've made up my mind that I've taken the last smart-assed remark from a TSA employee. The last thing I want or need is a confrontation, but the next time I'm treated this way, if I don't say anything I won't respect myself in the morning. God only knows, the TSA doesn't seem to respect anyone.

I respect the job the TSA has to do - I know it's enormously important, but I don't respect the agency. The reason I don't is because many of its employees don't respect passengers. Period.

And I don't buy the argument that the TSA is doing a fantastic job, either. I'd have a whole lot more respect for these people if they were even average at doing the job they are there for - protecting passengers. Granted, thankfully there have been no more 9-11s, but tests have shown it isn't because the TSA is thwarting them. (You can bet that when the TSA does thwart a possible attack, the Bush administration won't waste any time flogging that story to the mainstream media while pimping the "WE are the party that keeps you safe" line.)

Don't think for a second that like a POS by a TSA employee, it doesn't cross my mind that undercover agents routinely sneak bomb parts past screeners with stunning regularity; the last test that I read revealed that around 60 percent of bomb parts went undetected during tests. But, cripes, thank GOD I can't take my gel deodorant on board.

• At O'Hare Airport, I ordered two sausage McGriddle sandwiches for breakfast. I take them and walk all the way back to our gate, open one up - no sausage. Just buns and cheese. Yummy! I take them back and explain, and I get the most insincere "Sorry" I've probably ever received. I'd have had more respect if the employee would have deadpanned, "We don't really give a shit." Meh - it's the airport - should I expect more?

• However, the real annoyance came on our flight from O'Hare to LAX. We had the good fortune of being seated ahead of a misfit mom and her two model children, who insisted on kicking our seats for the first three hours. Just when it really started to become annoying, Vandra spun around and glared at the girl.

After this happened three or four times in a half hour, the mother said, "If you're going to turn around and glare at my daughter, why don't you SAY something."

Vandra then explained that we were sick and tired of having our seats kicked, and she said snidely, "I'll take care of it!"

This moron was then brazen enough to complain to us, "I've been up since 4 a.m.!" As if that's our fault. Vandra shot back, "So have we," and I added, "And your seat hasn't been kicked for the last three hours."

What I felt like saying was, "Next time, tell him to pull out."

In a perfect world, people like her would have to pass a test to have a kid. I'm sure I'm not alone, but it always seems like we have to sit near screaming kids. I've never traveled first class, but we walked by them to get to our seats. Funny - I didn't notice any screaming kids there. Ahh, some day.

At least my bags didn't get lost.

Latest This Modern World

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I can't believe how long it's been since I've sat down and wrote some pieces for this blog. The last few weeks of school were truly exhausting, so blogging, unfortunately, was a luxury that I just didn't have time for. But, winter break is finally here, and my batteries are recharging, which means lots of blogging, reading and writing. Since I'm getting up to speed with my reading, it will probably be a day or two until I start any significant posts.

Anyway, this week's This Modern World is a pretty thought-provoking take on Hillary Clinton's candidacy, so I thought I'd share it with you. I still don't have any clue about who I'm going to support for the Democratic Party's nominee for president. It's just too early for me to tell, other than to narrow it down to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. I guess that's not much narrowing down, but that's all I've got so far.

Enjoy TMW, and I'll be back a bit later today or early tomorrow.

Olbermann's Special Comment on Iran's nukes

I haven't posted a Keith Olbermann in a while, but this one is certainly worth sharing - a Special Comment on the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that states that Iran gave up its nuclear program some time ago.

Of course, the war-mongering administration wasn't going to take this news sitting down.

There's not much I can add to this one, other than to say I whole-heartedly agree. Anyone who has been even remotely paying attention ought to be frightened at the roads Bush would love to take us down. The only thing stopping the president and his war cabinet are (God help us) mostly spineless Democrats, and Americans who speak out against another war. I'll go to my grave believing that Bush would have already drummed up a war against Iran had the Democrats not retaken Congress last year. Bush may get his war yet, and I still say that most American's won't care, as long as someone else is doing the fighting.

Probably the only way there will be any sort of significant uprising/backlash against the Bush administration, no matter where we fight and no matter how flimsy the justification, is if there is a draft. Bush knows this, and that's why the military has a massive army of private contractors, who are answerable to no one but the Pentagon, and ultimately, Bush.

My favorite passage from the clip above:

A pathological presidential liar, or an idiot-in-chief. It is the nightmare scenario of political science fiction: A critical juncture in our history and, contained in either answer, a president manifestly unfit to serve, and behind him in the vice presidency: an unapologetic war-monger who has long been seeing a world visible only to himself.

It doesn't get much more succinct than that.

h/t Crooks & Liars

Glenn Beck, CNN's pathetic and absurd attempt to pander to the mindless Fox News crowd, is little more than a silly hack - a Bill O'Lielly wanna-be. But, it's still worth pointing out the infinite number of times that lies flow from his puss. One of the latest and greatest examples - the discussion of religion regarding Mormon Mitt Romney's religion.

Beck, who is a Mormon himself, has dismissed Romney's religion as irrelevant. I can't believe I'm typing this, but, heaven help me, I agree with Beck on this one, mostly. Too bad that Becker head had plenty to say about Joe Lieberman's candidacy for vice president in 2000 (Lieberman is Jewish), or, most outrageously, asking Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, a Muslim, to assure him that he doesn't work with our enemies.

Keep stoking those flames of intolerance, Glenn - it's a noble service you're performing.

Latest This Modern World

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This is my favorite This Modern World so far in 2007, and it really says a great deal about the PR machine that is the Giuliani image (and myth). His arrogant braggadocio regarding his "brilliant" decisions during and after 9-11 should give everyone pause, but unfortunately, many have bought into the myth. I don't believe any of it - not for a city minute.

I have no idea who will receive the nomination for either party, but I don't believe Giuliani's candidacy will last much beyond Super Tuesday.