Cuba’s foreign minister walked out of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday in protest of President Bush’s speech in which he said the “long rule of a cruel dictator is nearing its end” on the communist island.

The Cuban delegation later issued a statement saying the decision by Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque to leave the session was a “sign of profound rejection of the arrogant and mediocre statement by President Bush.”–AP

I say this as an occasional-to-frequent supporter of President Bush: I’m thrilled when any speech he gives can be described as “mediocre.” Too many of them are so very much worse than that.

From Toledo’s ABC station:

The toughest part for people using food stamps is going to a food pantry and getting their food for the month. But that’s only if it’s in stock. And that’s no guarantee. Pantry workers say they’re seeing a lot of empty shelves.

…

The three commissioners plan on coming to this pantry tomorrow to stock up.

So the commissioners, who make $84,703 annually and are currently engaged in a political stunt to not spend any of their own money on food, will stop by the pantry for some free food that would otherwise go to people who likely do not make $84,703 annually. Free food that, from the account above, isn’t all that plentiful.

Is this officially a farce yet?

Ah, the Food Stamp Challenge rears its paradoxical head again–this time among the leftists in charge of the economic sinkhole called Toledo, Ohio. County commissioners there are trying to live on what they claim is the average weekly food stamp benefit per person: $21.

All their food for a week for $21. (Or, as the Pravda of the Great Lakes calls it, “the same amount…that the U.S. government believes is adequate to feed themselves.”)

“We’re appropriately frightened to live on that little money,” says one of them. (I’m not sure which one–Toledo Democrat politics is so caught up in battles between the “A Team” and the “B Team” that I can’t keep track of who’s in office.)

No need to be frightened, Commissioner-person. Food stamps are not intended to replace the money you spend on food out of your paycheck. They’re a supplement to that income, intended to help out. Like a vitamin is a supplement that you take in addition to your food so that you get all your minerals and whatnot. You don’t stop eating regular food once you start taking vitamins, just like you don’t stop spending your own money on food once you start getting food stamps.

An example that even the economic wizards of Toledo can understand: if I look at my bills for the month and see that I’m going to be $100 short, and I come to you and ask to borrow $100, would you expect me to live just on that $100 that month? Wouldn’t that be dumb? If I’m getting that $100 as a supplement to my own income, why on earth would you think I would try to live on it and it alone?

Then again, if this stunt succeeds in getting the average food stamp supplement raised, people in Toledo will have more money with which to purchase locally created artwork and other essentials.

Much credit and many kudos to former Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber, who is tracking this ridiculous stunt (and all the inane goings-on in Toledo) on her blog.

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns’s expected decision to run for a Nebraska Senate seat provides a boost for Republicans, but drew quick criticism from some Democrats who say the secretary should finish what he started on the 2007 farm bill.

“Just to take a walk in the middle of a farm bill that only happens once every five years, it borders on irresponsible,” Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) told reporters Wednesday. He said Johanns should stay at his post until work concludes on a 2007 farm bill that was approved in the House but faces an uncertain future in the Senate.–The Hill

No word yet from Senator Conrad on the irresponsibility of the Democrat-controlled Senate Agriculture Committee not yet starting debate on a new farm bill–with only ten days left before the current bill expires.

seen we
How the chicken was cloaked together–the life that he suppboses form

Supposing to her forehead. again into wails of through crack in booming barks, they hastily

And she’s not happy about it.

1. Torrential rain in Ohio, homes/basements flooded.

2. Company donates dehumidifiers for distribution by the United Way to help people dry out homes/basements.

3. The number of people in line for free dehumidifiers exceeds the number available for donation, so–

4. United Way distributes said dehumidifiers prior to the announced distribution time.

5. Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!

Dehumidifier giveaway criticized

By J. STEVEN DILLON
FINDLAY COURIER
www.thecourier.com

Some local flood victims got steamed Tuesday after showing up at the local United Way office for a dehumidifier giveaway only to learn the devices had been handed out earlier than scheduled.

A note posted on the door of the United Way of Hancock County office at 245 Stanford Parkway said the supply of 100 dehumidifiers–which had been donated by Danby Products–already had been distributed by 1 p.m. Tuesday, the time the distribution had been set to begin on a “first come, first served” basis.

“It’s not right that they did it that way,” Anthony Baptiste, of Findlay, said. “I left work to come down here only to find out they started giving them out early. That’s just wrong.”

There were others who were unhappy too.

Celia Laureano, whose home on Clinton Court was heavily damaged by last month’s flood, was at the United Way office at 12:55 p.m. to pick up a dehumidifier to help dry out her basement. She said she had heard about the giveaway in the Saturday Courier.

“The newspaper said 1 p.m., so that’s why I’m here,” she said. “If they were going to give them out sooner, they should have said that.”

United Way President Keith DuVernay was fielding inquiries and complaints Tuesday after people filed into the office and were told the dehumidifiers were gone. He said most people were understanding of the situation, but others were upset.

“We can understand how frustrated people are right now, especially considering what they’ve been through with the flood,” he said. “I’m sorry that we ran out, but it was a matter of demand greatly exceeding supply.”

DuVernay said people had already begun to line up for the dehumidifiers by 7 a.m. Tuesday, and a decision was made to begin the distribution early when it became clear that all the dehumidifiers would be claimed.

By about 11:30 a.m., he said, all 100 were spoken for.

That did not sit well with those who waited until closer to the previously announced start of the distribution to make the trip to the United Way office.

One woman, who did not want to be identified, said she showed up around noon and learned the distribution had already been completed. She too had relied on a notice in the Courier to plan her arrival time.

The woman said she would have gladly stood in line, if needed, in order to claim one of the dehumidifiers.

“I’m totally disappointed in how they conducted it,” the woman whose Front Street home was heavily damaged by floodwaters. “If you say you’re going to do something at 1 p.m., then you should stick to it. Had I been the 101st or 102nd person in line at 1 p.m., I would understand if they were out.

“This I don’t understand.”

DuVernay said the decision to start the distribution early wasn’t meant to inconvenience anyone.

“The thought was, why keep anyone waiting until 1 p.m. once we knew there was going to be more people than dehumidifiers,” he said. “But we’re sorry for the inconvenience that it caused.”

While the United Way has had discussions with other companies about dehumidifiers, DuVernay said the agency had not received a commitment for a donation of more of the devices.

He noted Tuesday that were still several hundred free cleaning kits available to flood victims at both the United Way office and at the Hurricane Express, 801 W. Hardin St.

“We had 4,000-4,500 of the cleaning kits,” DuVernay said. “We only had 100 dehumidifiers.”

Audio clips from each winner of the annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship.

Columbus Dispatch:

The Rev. Aaron Wheeler, a Worthington Republican, today said he is putting together a campaign organization and expects to enter the race for the 15th Congressional District on Oct. 28.

“God told me I’m going to Washington,” said the pastor of the Mountaintop Missionary Baptist Church in Worthington.

Ohio lost a good man today when Congressman Paul Gillmor passed away.

You hear these tributes from politicians when other politicians die, and you sometimes roll your eyes as they lay it on a little too thick. But folks seem to be getting it right when they talk about Mr. Gillmor: he was indeed not a bomb-thrower or a partisan. He was a good Republican and a leader of the party, but he had no qualms about reaching across the aisle to get things done. I don’t think he had an enemy in the Congress.

He was my congressman back home and I was proud to cast votes for him. Somewhere along the line, I got a picture taken with him on the Capitol steps–something he was kind enough to do for a pseudo-constituent. During at least the last part of his service in the Ohio Senate, he was our senator–I know he got solid support from our region when he ran for governor in 1986. So he was very much a known quantity–and an admired legislator–when the county was added to his congressional district for the 2002 election. And even as large as his district is, he made time to come by for big events and small.

I have many friends on staff over in his office; in Congress, we tend to “initialize” when talking about our bosses, so they called him “PG.” My old boss and countless others called him “Gillmo’.” One of the Capitol Hill publications called him a “workhorse”–something that his supporters made known far and wide during his last campaign. “Workhorse” was probably the most fitting moniker: his staff got worried when he didn’t show up on time for meetings this morning–because he always showed up on time for meetings.

I know how shocked I was just to get word this morning; I can only imagine how it must have been for his staff to learn this tragic news. My thoughts are with all of them, with his friends, and especially his family.

We got a touch of rain in Ohio when I was home a few weeks ago, if nine inches in one day counts as a “touch.”

We got a touch of water in the basement, if three feet counts as a “touch.”

I would have taken more pictures, but figured I would be the guy who dropped his camera into the water in the attempt.

My mom called today to say that the washer and dryer have been declared officially kaput as a result of all this. She said she would report our estimated damage to FEMA so that they can get an accurate assessment of the flood impact countywide, but she wouldn’t apply for any aid: “There are people who need the money more than I do.”

I’m a big fan of my mom. Not sure how I lucked out enough to get born into this family.

I don’t think we’ll be seeing Wayne Newton this year.

We’re pulling this train into the final stop here.

No time for Wayne.

And there’s not much good Wayne Newton on YouTube–and nothing from his many telethon appearances–so here’s some Juice Newton from the Arthritis Telethon.

¿Donde esta Charo?

At least we have some memories:

Um, we’re losing precious hours here and still no Charo. Still no Wayne Newton. Saving them for the end?

Good to see Jack Jones still on this side of the dirt, though. A little raspy, but hey.

Ed just called Jerry “Jelly.”

Doesn’t the irony meter go off in your head when you 1. tell us that Carrot Top will appear in the next hour of the Telethon and 2. ask us not to go anywhere? You’ve given us fair warning; how can you ask us not to heed it?

(I think Ed just called Jerry “Jeff.” Hiyo.)

I find myself satisfied with the ample screen time given to Mr. Tony Orlando, Ms. Maureen McGovern, and that Five for Fighting fellow.

Makes me almost forget–almost–that Charo and Wayne Newton haven’t been on yet.

More of a personal observation involving the Telethon: why is it that I leap out of bed after five hours of sleep to flip on the Telethon, while on any ordinary day I can’t do the same in order to ride the exercise bike and/or read the Bible?

I need a major adjustment of my priorities. Which would be made easier if Charo recorded the Bible on a 64-CD set, but I shouldn’t wait around for that dream to come true.

You know what would elicit more pledges from Chicagoland during the local telethon segments? More Nadia Comaneci and her sexy Romanian accent.

Or they should put her on national and let the country listen to her sexy Romanian accent.

Because listening to Jerry and Ed and their occasional geriatric ramblings is not as endearing as I thought it would be this year.

I mean: God bless them for doing this year after year after year and raising so much money, but when you add their ages they’re like 250 years old.

So yeah. Nadia. And her sexy Romanian accent.

Sign that he’s still got it (sorta): Norm Crosby, who otherwise digs back about thirty years for topical humor, just made a Larry Craig joke.

Sign that he’s not quite all there anymore: Ed McMahon just regressed fifteen years and called Jerry “Johnny.”

Sign that it’s time to shut off the telethon and never ever watch it again: Gary Lewis and the Playboys are “performing.” As they do every year. “This Diamond Ring.” Every year. Enough already.

Twenty-two minutes into this thing and Jerry has directed slurs against the Japanese, Germans, and Southerners.

He’s slowing down in his old age.

The success of the MDA telethon’s entertainment lineup is in direct proportion to Wayne Newton’s screen time.

Danke schoen.

The success of the MDA telethon’s entertainment lineup is in direct proportion to Charo’s screen time.

Cuchi cuchi.

August always flies by so quickly that I’m almost caught unprepared for the Annual Labor Day Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Annual Jerry Lewis Annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Jerry Lewis Labor Day Annual Telethon. Benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Hosted by Jerry Lewis.

On Labor Day.

(Annually.)

One year I tried to live-blog it, but that never works for me. And I never stay awake for the whole thing. (And I tend to flip the channel over to the U.S. Open and/or whatever TVLand-type marathon happens to be on.) And I like to hit some restaurant for some fine dining during the day–a sort of final hurrah for the congressional August recess. Because August recess, historically, is always a week too short, whether it’s four weeks or five weeks or whatever.

But I will watch a goodly portion of it this year, even though I should turn off the teevee and finish up my light summer reading before we get into much more of September.