Tidbits From Elsewhere - 9/19/06

J.R.R. Tolkien will be releasing an unfinished book from beyond his grave, giving me something else not to read. I know I'm going to get hammered for this, but I just can't stand Tolkien's writing style. It's much too long-winded, and I just don't have the patience, so if I ever get around to finishing any of his books, it will probably be the only time I do so. Until then, I'll stick with Tolkien's buddy, C. S. Lewis.

The AP has yet another story of a man who was captured by the U.S., sent to a prison outside of the U.S., and then tortured-- only to find out he was completely innocent. When are people going to wake up and realize that our government is turning into the Soviet Union?!

And then there's this story about how the Muslims want another apology from the pope. I understand more than most people that radical Muslims and radical Christians can both be dangerous and that both religions consist mostly of peaceful people. The bad apples are always the ones to get the news coverage. Personally, I think we should take some of our own (Fred Phelps, Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, etc.) and corral them with the Islamic extremists and political extremists and just let them all duke it out and leave the rest of us out of it.

The Birmingham News is reporting a 5.8% increase in violent crime for Birmingham last year, more than twice the national average. No real surprise there. I would just like to know when Mayor Kinkaid and Chief Annetta Nunn are planning to put the denial phase behind them and start competing with other police departments for more (and better) officers. More likely, I'll instead be hearing mountains of excuses from these two, who will claim that Birmingham's crime rate really isn't all that bad. No, really it's not that bad...\

And we might just get a second season of Hoover Bucs on MTV, which means another season of parents in denial who then end up shocked that the show is edited in such a way that it casts someone in a bad light.

There are also some reports of men posing as state troopers who are pulling over women and sexually assaulting them. It sounds suspiciously like an urban legend that has been sent via email on a number of occasions, but it's probably not a bad idea to slow down, turn on your hazard lights, and then pull over in a safe, well-lit area. You can also call 911 to validate the pullover.