Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--

Two more disparate bed-fellows were conjoined headline twins this week as subjects rather than as precipitaters (and other words that end in bater) and I thought it would be poor manners to not note the change in the dynamic though the cosmetic remains. For those who worship at the altar of the snap judgment, who genuflect before the Tabernacle of the Arched Eyebrow and Stentorian Snort and who truly believe if you voice an opinion loudly enough and often enough the Baby Jesus, among others, turns it into fact, you have my sympathy as Glenn Beck and the Fair and Balanced Folks at Fox part ways.

For those wearing happy hats about this and breaking out into song and dance, I can remember it wasn't that long ago that your Lord of the Trolls, Sir Keith of Olbermann and Fort Lee, NJ, was handed his hat (sadly, it never seemed big enough to cover his mouth) by his employer and (yet) the band played on. Might I suggest for all of you and all of your 'I hate that Network' ugliness, what goes around comes around. Time to change direction of the circles, perhaps.

Meanwhile, the President of the United States (have you seen how much he has aged-how much ALL of them age?) has decided he'd like another bite of the apple, though why anyone would seek the office when the mirror tells you the toll it's taking, is beyond me. It is very possible this time tomorrow much of the federal government of our country will be idle as the funding to drive expires at one minute before midnight tonight. For him and others, what's a few more grey hairs among friends, especially if they're not friends.

Depending on where you get your news (sorry GB and KO, you must be present to win!) the impasse in developing a federal budget (this fiscal year started 1 October of last year, if you're keeping track; that's right, five months and eight days ago) has become, with my apologies to a very astute Potomac pundit, Mike Causey, a situation with two guys in a room full of gasoline arguing over who has the most matches.

And you're telling me there's a better than even money chance we can have a repeat of this trauma and drama, if the political stasis remains, for the final year of this President's first term, and the second of the two years of this House of Representatives and then we can do this all over again for two or four more years? Lather, rinse, repeat. And viewer numbers escalate as program ratings continue to climb, kaching!

And the media wonders why so many of us regard it with suspicion and distrust-just look at the stories for this past week, it strains our brains and just, when we start to believe our eyes and ears and heart, they practice first us to deceive as we slowly drift apart. The Carpenter said nothing but "Cut us another slice: I wish you were not quite so deaf--I've had to ask you twice."

-bill kenny