Things that make you go "HMMM"

Okay a few quickies, via Fox News:

US Budget Deficit as of today: $1.08 TRILLION (first time in history its broken the trillion mark)

Consumer spending in June 2009 up .6%, your stimulus package at work. great jump to the economy, huh? buy stock in Walmart.

Palin's Political Acton Committee has raised $732,000 (rounded, of course) .... $200,000 just since she announced last week that she was stepping down as Alaskan mayor - can some one explain to me where, during a recession so close to depression, they got that much money in a week??

even better...

Seaquest just signed his new contract with American Idol .... $45 MILLION/3yrs ... yep that's $15 MILLION/yr .... makes him the highest paid reality host ever. But don't worry, he will still speak out against those "horrid" oil company execs who are making money off the public need for gas/oil/banking/etc. he'll still speak out about how bad it is that the poor aren't getting help. Hmmm.
(((0))) (((0))) (((0))) (((0)))
Okay remember the story of those children who got kicked out of the private club because of .... well the club never did stick to just one story as to why ... and were given their money back? The club who tried to say they had done nothing wrong, has now offered to allow the kids back in -- but the director says the kids are "permanently scared" for having heard a couple (they have never said it was more than that) of people use language that made it sound as if minorities weren't welcome there ...
I have never read anything that said that slurs were used, just the term "black kids" from one of the kids' own mouths during an interview.
Of course the director turned them down -- they plan on sueing the club, and they want the members who used the term "black kids" kicked out of the club ... hello - free speech, as much as I hate it ... free speech.
And if those kids are 'permanently scarred' by the term used (I don't want to say it again) ... then they are teaching the kids to over-react. They don't know how the words were used, the context, the tone ... all we know is how it has been precieved and filtered thru the children's telling & retelling & retelling.
(Have you ever had a kid tell you about something, and then have to retell it? it tends to grow in each version ... I will take the groups claims at the beginning as 'truth' more than something the kids say now that they have had so many interviews ... but that's just me - I guess I've worked with too many kids in my life)
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The murder of the FL couple (the one with 16 kids) -- took less than 4 minutes. Average 911 response time? 8 minutes. This is why people need dogs. now that is a general time that includes police/fire/rescue ... and it will vary between regions/cities/counties/parishes ... when dad had the car flip outside his home, in the major metro area, it took nearly 20 minutes to respond.