# 343, November 13, 2004

COLUMBUS: Any of you folks contemplating a murder and getting your picture on television, this would be the time to do it. The Scott Peterson trial and the election are over and television folks have a lot of air time to fill. They both ended abruptly after going on too long.

So our cable news channels are in kind of a lull. Our newspapers still have plenty of important local stories to fill the space between ads, but these television networks were counting on the election ending in a tie and a hung jury.

Now, Mr. Arafat has been a popular news subject for 40 years but he got sick, died and was buried, all inside of a week. The battle for Fallujah is practically over in a few days, although more terrorists escaped than were killed.

There will be more battles to occupy our foreign correspondents, but the only hope on the horizon for these court reporters is a jail break by Martha Stewart.

England’s Tony Blair came over for a visit and asked President Bush to work harder for peace in the Middle East. Mr. Bush said he already was working on peace in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that those countries are at least in the neighborhood, if not exactly in the Middle, of the East. But he told the Prime Minister that if he can persuade Europe to join up he is willing, in our President’s words, to “spend the capital” to solve the age old Palestinian problem.

Before our President spends too much capital, someone should remind him our capital is mostly borrowed. But regardless of our debts, if another $10 Billion will buy a little peace, we’ll dig deeper into our pockets. We would gladly send the dough if we can keep our boys at home.

Historic quotes from Will Rogers:

“We are a funny people. We elect our Presidents, be they Republican or Democrat, then go home and start daring ’em to make good.” DT #2700, April 1, 1935

“There’s the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is Secret Diplomacy. Our foreign dealings are an Open Book, generally a Check Book.” WA #45, October 21, 1923