Now for Some News

Let's get the serious news first. This one deserves no funny remarks or snide insights. This one represents one of those left-over 60s paranoid fears of the government and secret plans. I hope it is just idle political gossip. Please, let it be just idle political gossip.

WASHINGTON - The White House on Tuesday denied a published report in Israel that said President Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term in January. A story in the Jerusalem Post quoted a "senior official" there as saying that Bush plans to attack Iran in the coming months. The story says the unidentified official claimed that a "senior member" of Bush's traveling entourage made the statement about attacking Iran in a closed meeting. Bush was in Israel last week.

The article also says the unnamed Bush official said that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney "were of the opinion that military action were called for."

Now that we have sufficiently worried ourselves and given a reason for all those sleepless nights until 01-20-09, on to the normal levels of news that attract my attention.

Someone will call this activist judges at work. Others will shake their heads in dismay. Not being (physically) blind I don't know about the feeling of those who are. So I will let the merits of the case determine the outcome. (Wow. Is it hard not to make bad puns about vision and insight. But fortunately, I am restraining myself.)

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court says paper money discriminates against blind people. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld a ruling that could force the U.S. to redesign its money so blind people can distinguish between values. Such changes could include making bills different sizes, including raised markings or printing oversized numbers for people who see poorly.

The next one brings back memories of some trips as a chaperone for my daughter's high school band. The band director, my best friend, always played favorites in his assignment of chaperones to groups of students. (it was a 250+ member band.) Since I am a drug counselor, he gave me the students that might be considered the most likely candidates for my services at some time in the future. I don't know if he figured I would know their secrets and catch them at it or what.

In any case the temptation to find a way to "lock" the students in their rooms is quite strong. But, and here's the problem with the concern of the students, most hotel/motel room doors open inward which means it would be quite difficult to actually duct tape their door closed. That would be a LOT of tape. But, since I wasn't there, I will defer judgment.

MILLBURY, Ohio - Parents have complained to a northwest Ohio school board that a chaperone sealed students in their hotel rooms with duct tape during a high school choir field trip.

At a heated meeting Monday, Michelle Mata told the Lake Local school board in Millbury that the tactic panicked her son during a recent weekend trip to Chicago.
Sylvia Keeler said she may file charges. Her son, Mark Hummel, said he worried he could be trapped during a fire. School board president Timothy Krugh told parents the tape was meant to keep students safe. Schools Superintendent Jim Witt said the tape would show if students violated curfew but wouldn't have kept them from escaping in an emergency.

And the BIG news of the week. American Airlines is NOT, repeat NOT raising fares. The BIGGER news of the week is that you have to pay for the unnecessary convenience of bringing luggage along and having them store it for you in the belly of the plane. What chutzpah for passengers to think they should have the right to bring along changes of clothes. Imagine that.

NEW YORK- Under a plan announced Wednesday by American Airlines, passengers already forced to pay extra for amenities like earphones, meals and even snacks will have to pay $15 to check a basic piece of baggage.

Maybe they should charge people for getting off the plane. Or as the Star-Trib headlined it:

What next? Pay Toilets?

Don't worry. I don't think American Airlines reads this blog so these ideas are safe just among us.