Guest Column

Our first story comes to us from that swell little country of North Korea. A factory worker made a telephone call on his illegal mobile phone to a friend in China, revealing the price of rice and other tidbits about living conditions there. He was arrested and executed publicly by a firing squad. So a word to the wise, if a North Korean approaches you and asks to see your most recent sales slip from Roche Brothers, tell him “No speakee Korean” and run like hell.

O.J. Simpson’s lawyer has asked for a new trial following his conviction for armed robbery in his attempt to get back some of his memorabilia (so he claims). His lawyer told a panel of the Nevada Supreme Court that this was not a fair and just conviction but instead was payback for his 1994 double murder acquittal.

Now I must tell that as far as I’m concerned O.J. is as low as any human being walking, but he and his lawyers are right on this. This is definitely payback for escaping a true verdict back in 1994. This sort of thing should not be happening in our justice system, not even to a person like O.J.

A report by an outfit called “Mission Readiness” reported up to 90% of young Philadelphians between the ages of 18 and 24 are not fit for the military because of criminal records, obesity, or lack of education. Nationally it is estimated 75% of young adults fail to meet the medical, moral, and mental standards necessary for military service.

What a mess this country is in. It just seems to get worse.

By the way, President Barack Obama’s “deer in the headlights” act regarding the oil spill, the economy, and the unemployment rate has enabled this pretender to accomplish the near impossible. Between him and our buffoon of a vice president, Joe Biden, they have succeeded in making George Bush and Dick Cheney not only look good, but competent as well.

Gee, I wouldn’t want to be accused of piling on our totally inept and clueless president, but please read on.

The Justice Department is not prepared to respond to an attack on the United States involving weapons of mass destruction, according to a report by the department’s inspector general.

The department hasn’t put in place adequate response plans and didn’t assign one entity or person to oversee the response should an attack occur, according to the report, released recently.

The Justice Department is supposed to ensure public safety and security in the event an attack overwhelms state and local law enforcement, the report said. A bipartisan commission found in 2008 that, without a concerted effort to prevent an attack using weapons of mass destruction, such an assault probably would occur somewhere in the world by 2013. Wow, huh?

In an interesting study it was determined Boston was the second highest area for standards for healthy living. The researchers culled data from federal reports and evaluated a multitude of factors, including preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease, and community health policies. All this data is put together by the American College of Sports Medicine and becomes the American Fitness Index. Washington D.C. was number one; Minneapolis-St. Paul was third, followed by Seattle and Portland, Oregon. All scored in the 70s. The bottom five were Louisville, Detroit, Memphis, Birmingham, and way below all others, Oklahoma City.

Helen Thomas, the dean of White House reporters and the occupant of the front row, center seat at presidential press conferences, retired abruptly after being quoted thusly when asked if she had any comments on Israel: “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine, remember these people are occupied and it’s their land. It’s not Germany, it’s not Poland.” When asked where the Jews should go she opined: “They should go home, Poland, Germany, and America and everywhere else.”

A couple of days later she issued this apology: “I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.”

If you think she a) wrote this and b) believes this you are a very naïve and gullible person. Helen revealed herself as a hater and there’s no taking back those words.

Finally. we end up in the world of sports for two stories of stupidity. Former Boston Celtics forward Antoine Walker is now facing a trial in Nevada for failing to repay $1 million in gambling debts to three Las Vegas casinos. If found guilty of three criminal bad-check charges, he faces a possible total of twelve years in prison. Now here’s the punch line: In his career Walker earned a total of nearly $110 million. He has filed for bankruptcy in his home state of Florida claiming $12.7 million in liabilities and $4.3 million in assets. I wonder if the casino leg breakers will take this into consideration when the pay “Toine” a visit for a little chat?

Here’s another situation that’s tough to believe. Logan Mankins, the New England Patriots’ best offensive lineman, is holding out for a new contract. O.K., no problem there. The Pats have offered Mankins a five-year contract totaling $35 million. Unless the old abacus is out of kilter that’s about $7 million a year, but Logan’s not happy and has accused the Pats of not being honest with him.

Let’s examine the facts. The Patriots have offered to make him among the highest-paid five linemen in the NFL. So because one team (the New Orleans Saints) went off the charts with a way-over-the-top contract to Jhari Evans, this seems to mean that all other teams grossly overpay their linemen also, at least according to Mankins and his agent, anyway. I’m sorry, Logan is a very good player and to make him among the five highest paid linemen in football is a fair and generous offer from the Patriots. Mankins has no sympathy here and his remarks are not well thought out at all.