The Daily Grill

Smoke 'Em Out (If You Got 'Em...)

"If we give up the fight in the streets of Baghdad, we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities." So said White House Resident Bush in a recent address to veterans. Wasn't the Iraq war was about uninstalling Saddam Hussein and replacing him with democracy? Now we're told that if our troops exit, stage left, a pile of Islamic extremists are somehow going to pop up on the streets of the US. Would someone please Bush back on his meds? Any meds. And point out to him that if we did pull our forces out of Iraq and some wayward terrorists did show up here, we'd have all those returning military personnel to take care of the problem.

Ass Fault

Pardon me using The Daily Grill to rant a bit, but there's road construction going on right now on a major artery in my hometown of Mill Valley and it's got me fuming. The tiny minds behind Argonaut Construction posted signs this summer well in advance of the start of construction, which was great. But the start was delayed. It finally got started a week or so ago and now that Tamalpais High School, half a block away, is back in session, traffic through the flip-flopping one-lane passage around the construction is awful. And rather than swiftly usher traffic first one way then the other, long lines develop as people wait up to 15 minutes to crawl through the area. With gas prices where they are today, you thing they'd have a bit more compassion and sense. Hell, they SHOULD be doing the work at night when only a handful of local residents would be inconvenienced. But no, Argonaut and the City of Mill Valley have conspired to make each day a driving hell. I don't blame the workers on the street -- they're working as quick as they can -- I blame the honchos at Argonaut Construction and the Mill Valley city management. Idiots and morons all!

Pluto To Pup: A Bad Sign?

So astronomers voted to reclassify Pluto, downgrading it from "planet" to "dwarf planet". Did they give any thought to how this is going to affect astrology? The planets pass through the Houses of the Zodiac and, without Pluto there to pull its load, that going to put a lot of extra pressure on Uranus.

Unfair & Off-kilter

An unknown Islamic group, calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades, said they kidnapped two Fox News TV journalists in the Gaza Strip and will only release them in exchange for all Muslim prisoners being held in the US. The situation is grim -- I mean, that deal hardly sounds "fair and balanced" -- and it also puts a whole new slant on the term "embedded journalist".

Name That STD

So I understand that to increase awareness about the dangers of Hepatitis C, the AMA is planning to name it after an important public figure who suffers from it, like naming Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Lou Gehrig's Disease. Only problem is that they're torn between calling it Pamela Anderson's Disease or Hepatitis Double D.

Cruisin' Along

Paramount Pictures recently dumped Tom Cruise and his production company from his ultra-lucrative deal there, citing Cruise's weird behavior: getting gooney over Katie Holmes, his loud views on Brooke Shields' post partum depression, his berating Matt Lauer, etc. I guess it's true what they say: power corrupts and Scientology corrupts absolutely.

I See Drunk People

I just now found out about Haley Joel ("The Sixth Sense")Osmont's DUI arrest on July 20th, in La Canada, CA. Just another kid actor gone bad, or was he researching a role about a kid actor gone bad?

Sideplaying

I love when the American media plays sides but tries to appear neutral. A headline in today's NYTimes reads Truce Strained as Israelis Raid Lebanon Site, followed by a tease for the story: "Israeli commandos engaged in a lengthy firefight in what the Lebanese prime minister called a 'flagrant violation' of the U.N.-brokered cease-fire." If Hezbollah had been the first one in, what are the chances that headline would have read read Truce Broken?

Drugs 1, Warriors 0

According to a report in the NYTimes, the latest six-year, $4.7 billion effort to slash Colombia’s coca crop hasn't made a bit of difference in terms of the cost and availability on the streets of America. Maybe the government should call a halt on their ill-fated Wars on Drugs, Iraq and Gay Marriage and instead rally their forces strictly against Terrorism, Poverty and Stupidity.

A Little Belief Is A Dangerous Thing

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says that he's "both surprised and disappointed by the ruling" on the Bush Administration's illegal wiretapping operation, stating that administration officials “believe very strongly that the program is lawful.” Yeah, 'Berto? Well, they reportedly believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy as well but that doesn't make 'em so.