Bits & Bytes

• Reliving a dark period in history--Taking a lesson directly from 1930's Germany, animal rights activists recently "burned books depicting animal vivisection," according to Americans for Medical Progress. Will AR activists now sacrifice the First Amendment on the altar of "animal rights"?
• You missed the choir, you're preaching to the altar boys!--Democratic House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt appeared at Dunn Meadow for a College Democrats rally on the day before students returned to campus. Not counting a few dozen Republican protestors, only a dozen or so college students were there, half of whom turned out to be College Democrats from Ball State University!
• Confusing the issue--In a column in griot, Shannon Riggs calls conservatives "hypocrites" for "traditionally [bashing] feminists for [their] views on sexual harassment," but now "embracing these same views." Let's see, then. If Clarence Thomas made crude jokes to a female coworker, it's harassment, but if Clinton exposed himself or even had oral sex with an employee, it's not?
• I'm king of the world!--Herald-Times editor Bob Zaltzberg announced in a September 5th column that the H-T would no longer print letters to the editor about political candidates during election seasons, yet left the door open for "letters that pertain to the newsworthy actions of a public official." It seems that His Majesty is playing right into the hands of those Democrats whose only hobby is critcizing the policies and votes of Republican office-holders.
• The only Democrat candidate with less charisma than Al Gore--A woman who had died of a heart attack before the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senator in Oklahoma received enough votes to force a runoff to be held on September 15.
• And the "Get a life" award goes to--People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for targeting a cereal box as a dangerous enemy of "animal rights". According to the Associated Press, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk demanded Wheaties remove a bass fisherman from its cereal boxes rather than promote the "cruelty" of fishing. Switch to decaf with your breakfast, Ingrid!