Random Stuff

Hey, you want to talk fatal attractions? There is a controversy ongoing in Canada right now with that nation's foreign minister, Maxime Bernier, taking as his girlfriend a former Hell's Angels moll, Julie Couillard.. Yes, this is true. She even accompanied Bernier to a meeting with President Bush. No word on whether the Secret Service knew of Couillard's past (or maybe even continuing?) associations.

Prime Minister Steven Harper has, incredibly, told the press to mind its own business. So wait, you have cabinet member dating someone who has an organized crime connection and you don't think it is worth public attention? And you're a Tory (conservative)? Is it me or is this Alice in Wonderland? Bernier, nonetheless, resigned.

The opposition Liberal Party has raised the spectre of government infiltration by the gang, something that was written off as "absurd" by the Tories.

Canada has had substantial security issues and one wonders about the competence of its version of the CIA, CSIS, covered up the fact that it knew an Indian airliner leaving from Toronto in 1985 was going to be bombed, but failed to alert anyone or take special measures. The result was a blown up plane with 329 people aboard. All died in the incident. More here.

These were just two times when that intelligence service dropped the ball and certainly, if I were a malefactor, I would see Canada as a weak link as more CSIS problems have come to light.
There has been nothing in the U.S. media as to how the Bush Administration views all this, if they are even paying attention. Well, if they aren't they had better do so right now and help our northern neighbors rectify their issues.

You may not have seen this, but perhaps a reflection of just how badly the Republicans are going right now is on display in Montana, of all places. Bob Kelleher, a 15 time loser as a former Democratic Party and Green Party candidate for office, is the Republican Senate nominee to try to unseat incumbent Max Baucus. He is also 85 years old.

But the kicker to this is that this guy is way to the left of any of the Democrat candidates running this election cycle. You have to read it to believe it. He got past two other candidates in the primary, one a former GOP state house speaker and the other a businesswoman who was backed by the White House.

Now the aforementioned ne0-Bush hopeful will now try to run as an independent ala Joe Lieberman. So count on an easy Baucus victory.

Then there was another embarrassment for John McCain. Details here.

The L.A. Times says that the NRA may be on the wane, but the fact there is that's it's due to their being successful.

How would you like to be subject to compulsory dieting at the behest of your government. Check out what is going on in Japan. The stupidity there is that it doesn't deal with the two biggest problems in the otherwise low fat heart safe diet in that country: smoking and salt intake due to the consumption of soups and shoyu (soy sauce).

Former NBC sports play by play man Charlie Jones died the other day, which was too bad. I remember Charlie from his days of working AFL and AFC football games and he always did a real solid job. I don't know anything about him personally, but my best to his family.