NEWS ITEMS

Several little items captured my attention today while reading the newspaper.

TORNADOES Severe weather raised it's ugly head yesterday in Oklahoma. As I've mentioned in my blog several times, this winter has been odd, to say the least. We've gone from days of freezing ice storms to next day temperatures of plus 70 degrees. Yesterday, with again unseasonable temperatures hitting 70 degrees, we had spring-like conditions occur.

Spring-like conditions in Oklahoma mean severe weather which can cause tornadoes. That is what happened in Oklahoma City - only about a mile from my daughter's home, and a few other places in the state. I first learned of the crazy weather when at approximately 3:15 pm, I turned on CNN to see what the latest was, and they reported that a tornado had touched down in OKC. I picked up the phone immediately and called my daughter to make sure she, our grandson, and son in law were okay. They were, Thank God, but she indicated that the twister had touched down only a mile from their home. It was also my daughter's 8th wedding anniversary yesterday.

OCTUPLETS Watched Dateline last night. They interviewed that woman who recently gave birth to a litter of 8 children via in vitro fertilization. She already has 6 children - all by the same process - and is unmarried, and is unemployed. Couldn't help but notice her collagen enhanced lips. They were so plumped up, she made Angelina Jolie look like she was lipless. Anywho - saw an article that this mother of 14 receives foodstamps in the amount of close to $500 a month. Wonder what the new bill will be. She is definitely a nut case.


POSTAGE Come May 11th, stamps will go up again this time to 44 cents from the current 42. I know I am an old fart and all, but I remember as a kid when stamps cost 3 cents! The Post Office is also talking about dropping Saturday delivery in an effort to reduce costs.Good Grief.

FORMER VP CHENEY Today is the 3rd anniversary of Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of his friend while on a hunting trip. As happy as I am to be rid of Bush - I am ecstatic to be rid of Cheney. Bush wasn't inherently evil - Cheney is.

OBAMA ATTACKS. Yesterday marked 3 weeks since Barrack Obama was sworn in as President of the U.S. Yesterday also marked the day I received 3 separate attacks on Obama from friends of mine that are life-long Republicans. As I said to one, who was a mentor of mine and has been a friend for nearly 35 years, "If you had been in a job for three weeks, how would you feel if people began attacking you?" I also went on to ask him if he had started to subscribe to the Rush Limbaugh philosophy of "I don't want him to succeed"? We are in extremely tough times these days and we must hope that Obama succeeds. Back when W was elected, I didn't begin to go after him until he launched the ill-advised war in Iraq. Seems to me that ANYONE deserves more time than three weeks to be judged.

Old Fart Mike