Wednesday night’s debate featuring the conglomeration of Republican presidential hopefuls produced some good lines.
Everyone had their favorites and this reporter’s came from Chris Christie.
After an exchange about federal regulation of fantasy football schemes, Christie piped up that with the national debt at $18 trillion and a list of other concerns, “Why are we talking about fantasy football?”
That was another jab at Jeb Bush, who had had a cute answer, in another of his attempts to shed the image of being too bland and stiff in his responses. He had little success in the debate.
Several of the GOP hopefuls sent barbs the mainstream media’s way, to the point of calling it a super PAC for the Democrats. Truth is, by their very nature of having to fill 24 hours a day with “news,” the cable channels that profess to report rely more on show business approaches to draw sponsors, which often has the messenger being part of — sometimes even all of — the story.
Some at the debate would have been wise to heed Mark Twain’s words: “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
HERE’S HOW what was thought to be a potential problem in New York City was defused in unorthodox, but effective, fashion.
An officer sent to deal with a “situation” challenged a girl who was strutting her stuff to a dance-off — they went at it. The female officer was up to the task and before long the girl tired, they hugged and she and other teens moseyed off without incident.
Innovative it was, and there’s a good chance something similar could be done in other situations, rather than have them come to a head as “us against them” confrontations.
A BLIMP mysteriously escaped from its moorings Wednesday at a federal facility and floated 150 miles before coming down near a small town in Pennsylvania. Aboard was sensitive military equipment.
When it tangled in a tree, state troopers fired pellets from 100 shotguns into the unmanned airship to deflate it.
A local who watched scratched his head, and remarked his car wasn’t worth much but he kept better track of it than did the feds of the blimp.
When Russell Stover Candies came to Iola, the company brought a blimp to town for an advertising gimmick. Floating a few hundred feet above ground was an experience, with hardly any sound coming from its propulsion. The ominous sight didn’t sit well with a couple does just north of the airport. They took out like jackrabbits when the huge shadow passed over and prompted them to glance up.
— Bob Johnson
