Columns

In case you haven’t been paying attention to the news lately, both major political parties have had their respective conventions, and the presidential election season is now fully under way. Some of you no doubt follow such things very closely with great interest, and others generally dread the next two months of political advertisements that constantly will be interrupting your favorite television shows.

The popular cable news and commentary program The O’Reilly Factor begins the same way every time it is aired. As the host looks into the camera, he points at the viewer and says, “Caution! You are about to enter the ‘no spin zone’!”

Whether you are a fan of O’Reilly or not, you have to at least be sympathetic to his stated goal, which is to get to the real facts by cutting through all the political rhetoric, canned responses and misinformation that nearly all campaign speeches and most news programs have become.

One of the travesties of what has become of the modern Olympic Games that was not caused by programmers at NBC is the inclusion of BMX bicycle racing as a full-fledged medal sport.

You know BMX, that’s when oversized children and underaged adults catapult themselves over hill and dale while riding bicycles too small for your 11-year-old.

At the risk of sounding my age, why is this an Olympic sport? How does it rank with running, jumping, swimming, diving and moving balls around with hands, feet, heads and sticks? Which god on Mount Olympus thought of this?

A guy buys weapons that Marines typically use. He stockpiles more ammo than the National Guard Armory. He applies his advanced intellect to build a lethal mousetrap in the apartment building where he lives.

Then he dons armor and opens fire with as semi-automatic assault rifle, killing a dozen people and almost 58 more who are sitting calmly and happily watching the latest episode of Batman at a big-screen movie complex.

That would seem more like a movie plot within a plot, wouldn’t it?