Random News & Views Roundup

- CNN's Anderson Cooper has apparently had his head stuck up his butt for years as is obvious by his shock over the existence of polygamous sects in the US. Anderson has grabbed onto the story of cult leader Warren Jeffs who is now on the FBI's Most Wanted list for the sexual abuse of minors. The fact that this is suddenly a huge CNN story shows how the mainstream media has ignored a very ugly reality for decades, essentially making them complicit in the attitude of apathy that has surrounded these poor children for so long and the reality that police have let this fester to the point where they are now prepapring for another Waco-like confrontation. The only news here is that Jeff's is now on the FBI's radar screen. It's pathetic that CNN now has to spend hours dissecting what really goes on in these cults so they can get a grip on the issues. North America: where children come in dead last. It's not like they have any lobbying power or money, after all.

- Iran's president says he's ready to talk. Don't count on anyone in the US administration being willing to listen.

- Does Canada have enough troops to spare some for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur? Our Prime Minister and the Defence Minister disagree on what the answer to that question is. We have a wopping 18 peacekeepers over there now. And, why is Harper waiting for requests for aid for the region? What does he need? A gilded invitation?

- Cheney is just so lousy at that diplomacy stuff, they really should not allow him t leave his cushy office. Since he criticized Russia last week, according to The Guardian, 'Relations between the US and Russia sank to the lowest point in a decade yesterday'. Putin 'compared the US to a hungry wolf that "eats and listens to no one".' And, to add injury to insult:

The acrimony will also encourage senior US Republicans such as John McCain to renew calls for Mr Bush to boycott this year's meeting of the Group of Eight, the world's wealthiest countries, which is scheduled to be held in Russia for the first time.

Bushco has already opted out of international treaties, conventions and the International Criminal Court and we, in Canada, are more than familiar with the US's disregard for WTO decisions so what's one more step towards complete isolationism in the scheme of things?

- Churches really need to focus on the important stuff. The Greek Orthodox church has said:

"The author (American Dan Brown) wants to damage faith in the church and in Christ, as perfect God and perfect man," says the leaflet.

"Quite apart from the fact that the book attacks Christ, it also attacks the church, directly accusing it of lying and deceiving the faithful."

It a work of fiction, for Christ's sake (excuse the pun). Get over it!

- speaking of getting over things, the lefty blogosphere really needs to move on from this Richard Cohen madness. The guy's a wanker. Everybody knows that. Why waste any more precious blog space rebutting what he writes? In the big picture perspective, Cohen doesn't matter.

Here, I'll give you a distraction: Time reports that 'Another Goss Aide Is Linked to Military Contracting Scandals'. Write about that. It's juicier and interesting, at least.

- And, this just in, as they say: The Justice Department has dropped its NSA spying investigation because their department's lawyers were refused security clearances to probe the material involved. What a pathetic state of affairs.