Editorial

Monday,
May 9
High-flying geezers: Former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson, 80, says AARP is “38 million people bound together by love of airline discounts” … Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) says Republicans want spending cuts in “trillions, not billions” before they'll OK increase in federal debt ceiling … But he loves dumb blondes: Kevin Allen, a black contestant on “The Apprentice” who was fired by Donald Trump, tells Talking Points Memo that Trump “doesn't like educated African-Americans very much” … “Kicker” reform kicked aside: Measure to put half of Oregon's “kicker” tax refund into rainy-day fund gets sidetracked in state Senate; fate uncertain.

Monday,
May 2
Osama, The Aftermath: US officials say “mother lode” of intelligence seized from compound where Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden last week; “hundreds of people” examining contents of computers, thumb drives, etc. … Meanwhile Rush Limbaugh belittles the exploit, says President Obama almost botched it and staged it as re-election ploy. Way to keep it classy there, Rush … Elsewhere in the Middle East: More than 2,000 reportedly arrested in latest crackdown against Syrian protesters, another 5,000 missing … Yes, that's a 1 plus 11 zeroes: Wall Street Journal estimates Facebook stock could be worth $100 billion in initial public offering, making it bigger than Amazon or Cisco.

Monday, April 25
Can't keep a real dick-tator down: Muammar Qaddafi reported “in high spirits” despite NATO air strike that kills three people in his compound … Put on the pads: NFL fans breathe (temporary) sigh of relief as judge rules in favor of players, ends owners' lockout, but season remains in jeopardy … Big-game hunting: Levi Johnston, father of Bristol Palin's baby, plans tell-all book titled Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs … Don't squeeze those chickens: Oregonians for Humane Farms files to put measure guaranteeing more space for egg-laying hens on next fall's ballot … “Scandal” du jour: The indefatigable Donald Trump says he's now investigating how President Obama got into Columbia and Harvard despite being a “terrible student” … Excitement mounts! Millions of royalty-lovers gear up for Friday's wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Monday, April 18
Need a bill-payer loan? Standard & Poors lowers long-term credit outlook for US from “stable” to “negative.” Republicans in Congress stick out their tongues and go “Nyaaah, nyaaah!” … Chew on this: Pentagon investigation of Rolling Stone article in which Gen. Stanley McChrystal said, among other things, that Vice President Joe Biden could “bite him” clears McChrystal. Rolling Stone stands by its story … Haven't we seen this movie before? European Union seeks approval from UN to move ground troops into Libya to “secure sea and land corridors inside the country” … Move along, nothing to see here: Scientists surveyed by AP say health of Gulf of Mexico is back to normal one year after BP oil spill disaster … More green shoots: Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for three Central Oregon counties fall, though all are still in double digits and Crook County's remains highest in state at 15.4%.

Monday, April 11
Of love and war: In an interview with The Daily Beast, Oksana Balinskaya, described as Muammar Qaddafi's former “buxom Ukrainian nurse,” says there was no sex involved in her job: “None of us nurses was ever his lover; the only time we ever touched him was to take his blood pressure.” Uh, okay … Meanwhile, Libyan rebels reject peace plan proposed by the African Union because it wouldn't remove Qaddafi … Of war, war and more war: Swedish think tank reports U.S. military spending is up 81 percent since 2001, to eye-popping total of $698 billion last year. The U.S. accounts forralmost 43 percent of world's military spending … Meanwhile, in a completely unrelated development, Bend-LaPine Schools Superintendent Ron Wilkinson says district must lay off 20 to 22 high school teachers and increase class sizes due to $16 million budget deficit.