A Pedophile On The School Board

Just when you thought it was safe to have elections, we hear that a convicted sex offender is running for the school board.

Lee McClendon, of Denver, sees no reason why his past record should be any impediment to his serving on the board. After all, he did jail time, and paid his debt to society, for the 1984 molestation of an 8-year-old boy.

His victim doesn't agree, and neither do I. As always, in this era of the victim, some of us have lost sight of who the victim really is. McClendon must fancy himself in that role, with self-styled guardians of the civic morality preventing him from holding public office. The nerve of these people to impose their outmoded value system on him! Pedophilia must be recognized as a disease. He couldn't control himself.

I would say this: No one put a gun to his head to force him to molest that boy, and he should resign himself to this fate: He can't be involved in any way whatsoever with children. Had he molested one of my sons, his fate would have been far more severe. Revenge is a disease, and I can't help myself....

Madam Attorney General

You've got to hand it to Janet Reno. She sure is loyal. Faced with evidence of the biggest political money scandal ever, she responds by being ever more protective of her boss.

Operating just this side of impeachment, Reno is able to get away with her shenanigans because the Republicans would never act against a woman. Why, that would be insensitive.

So what we end up with is a third world style scandal occurring in Washington, DC, with the media just starting to take notice. How much worse could it be in Mexico?

The Promise Keepers

When a million or so Christian men gather on the Washington Mall, and commit themselves to God and family, it bothers certain people.

Naturally, the Atheists are troubled by any display of religion in public life. No news there.

The Feminists, eager to continue their de-construction of the American family, view it as a step backward. Maybe if they REALLY cared about women, they would publicize that being a single mother is the quickest route to poverty and domestic abuse. But, that's not PC.

The traditional Liberals don't quite know what to make of it. It's not PC to be religious, but then what's wrong with acting responsibly and caring for your family? Wait, I know!! That must be a code phrase for some sinister right wing plot.

The Bottom Line

Current events really don't matter. As Maximilian Schell remarked in The Black Hole, "Same news, different names." There will always be something to gripe about. I say we should first worry about the person in the mirror.

None of the above stories are going to affect your daily life. Be a news junkie for the entertainment value, if you must. But, don't forget to put it into perspective. EVERYTHING is tabloid journalism these days.