A lighthearted look at issues of the day:
Developers in Peru recently tore down a 4,000-year-old pyramid to make way for a new housing development. Too bad it didn’t happen in this country. Tearing down something that old surely would have qualified the developer for tax breaks as a redevelopment project.
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Europe is a long and trusted ally of the United States, but lately it has become the manic-depressive relative you avoid at a party. Last week the entire continent was up in arms because American activist Ed Snowden revealed the U.S. had been spying on European nations. But then those same European nations wouldn’t let an airplane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales fly over Europe because of suspicions Snowden was onboard.
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And then the French paper Le Monde reported that France has been doing its share of spying as well, without any legal justification. Maxwell Smart’s nemesis, “KAOS,” may have been fictitious, but Europe and the U.S. may want to try the cone of silence from now on to work out their troubles.
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Anxious to let all Americans know he was delaying a key part of Obamacare, the president last week immediately rushed the information to the world via blog posts on a couple of obscure government web sites.
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Well, why call a press conference when it’s just bad news?
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And why let us see the real impacts of Obamacare now when you can put it off until after the mid-term elections?
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Recent reports show the government has spent $630,000 in order to increase the number of “likes” on its State Department Facebook page. No, North Korean Leader Jim Jong Un has not yet pressed the button.
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Do diplomats use this when negotiating? “You should sign this agreement. Just look at how many likes we have, and don’t even think about making us Tweet anything bad about you.”
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More than 2 million people so far have “liked” the State Department. Not bad, but it’s a bit short of the 33 million Justin Bieber had on last count. Maybe he should be secretary of state.
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A group is planning a 5K race in September in Spanish Fork to aid victims of gun violence. What’s unique about that? Well, runners are being invited to bring their guns with them. Organizers say they want to show that gun owners are responsible, normal people. If that’s normal, I’m going to be a lot more respectful to the joggers who try to hog the sidewalks in my neighborhood park.
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What’s next? A race with scissors to raise money for victims of eye injuries?
Jay Evensen is the associate editor of the Deseret News editorial page. Follow him on Twitter @jayevensen.
Developers in Peru recently tore down a 4,000-year-old pyramid to make way for a new housing development. Too bad it didn’t happen in this country. Tearing down something that old surely would have qualified the developer for tax breaks as a redevelopment project.
❑ ❑ ❑
Europe is a long and trusted ally of the United States, but lately it has become the manic-depressive relative you avoid at a party. Last week the entire continent was up in arms because American activist Ed Snowden revealed the U.S. had been spying on European nations. But then those same European nations wouldn’t let an airplane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales fly over Europe because of suspicions Snowden was onboard.
❑ ❑ ❑
And then the French paper Le Monde reported that France has been doing its share of spying as well, without any legal justification. Maxwell Smart’s nemesis, “KAOS,” may have been fictitious, but Europe and the U.S. may want to try the cone of silence from now on to work out their troubles.
❑ ❑ ❑
Anxious to let all Americans know he was delaying a key part of Obamacare, the president last week immediately rushed the information to the world via blog posts on a couple of obscure government web sites.
❑ ❑ ❑
Well, why call a press conference when it’s just bad news?
❑ ❑ ❑
And why let us see the real impacts of Obamacare now when you can put it off until after the mid-term elections?
❑ ❑ ❑
Recent reports show the government has spent $630,000 in order to increase the number of “likes” on its State Department Facebook page. No, North Korean Leader Jim Jong Un has not yet pressed the button.
❑ ❑ ❑
Do diplomats use this when negotiating? “You should sign this agreement. Just look at how many likes we have, and don’t even think about making us Tweet anything bad about you.”
❑ ❑ ❑
More than 2 million people so far have “liked” the State Department. Not bad, but it’s a bit short of the 33 million Justin Bieber had on last count. Maybe he should be secretary of state.
❑ ❑ ❑
A group is planning a 5K race in September in Spanish Fork to aid victims of gun violence. What’s unique about that? Well, runners are being invited to bring their guns with them. Organizers say they want to show that gun owners are responsible, normal people. If that’s normal, I’m going to be a lot more respectful to the joggers who try to hog the sidewalks in my neighborhood park.
❑ ❑ ❑
What’s next? A race with scissors to raise money for victims of eye injuries?
Jay Evensen is the associate editor of the Deseret News editorial page. Follow him on Twitter @jayevensen.
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