Ahh yes, President’s Day. The holiday nobody observes and/or cares about – sans, perhaps, furniture stores and auto dealerships. Perfect for cleaning out my own “oval office” desk after my vagabond existence for the past week and a half:

The mainstream media’s meltdown over the Veep’s hunting accident last week – as opposed to focusing on the truly bad stuff on our and the world’s pu-pu platter last week like this, this, and this, for example – revealed just how petty and out of touch they are. Look, I don’t hunt, but hell, you get a bunch of guys out in the great outdoors armed and hell-bent on killing poor, defenseless birds – aren’t accidents of this sort considered an occupational hazard? Mark Steyn, I think, has it right. (Hat tip: Polipundit).

The news that New Hampshire’s openly-gay Episcopal bishop V. Gene Robinson checked himself into a treatment clinic for alcoholism has resulted in both shameful accusations from liberals (hinting his drinking problem was at least exacerbated – if not outright caused – by conservative scrutiny and the resulting controversy over his election) and finger-wagging from conservatives (see, I told you so!). In a day and age where religions of all stripes are increasingly under attack from those in the secular media, can’t we as Episcopalians put aside our differences just once and simply express our concern and prayers for someone in need of God’s strength and care during a difficult time? Who was it who said, “he who is without sin cast the first stone”?

Is it just me, or is the Bush administration’s HSA proposal to turn security at six major U.S. ports over to an Arab company just plain dumb?

UPDATE 2/21/06: Now things are getting curiouser and curiouser. My friend Dona sent me this news item today. Could it be the Arab world’s attempt to infiltrate US ports with aliens – and I don’t mean the “illegal” kind – once they’ve taken control of them? 🙂 Just what my friend Pasquale (“LP”) needs – after hours perusing the UFO Filer files this will send him completely over the edge!

UPDATE 2/21/06 (15:26 MST): OK, OK, so I got it wrong – sorry Dona, thanks TKO. I see now, the UAE is taking over our ports, we’re building them a spaceport. Besides, the Prez was just quoted as saying he’s right on this, and will fight to the death – even with a veto if Congress objects – to protect the UAE’s parent company’s right to run the ports. And now Hillary has moved to the right on the Prez on this?. Man, the whole world is going to you-know-where in a you-know-what. Sigh….

Glad to hear about Jerry Remy’s election to the Red Sox Hall of Fame. The RemDawg’s rocket-like ascent from solid second-baseman to cultural sports icon has been nothing short of amazing; I think Red at Surviving Grady sums it up best as to why:

…Utterly invaluable to each and every game. Sends us all home with big goofy grins and mussed-up hair, even if the Sox got shellacked. I’ll be honest: They could have anyone from Mitt Romney to The Pussycat Dolls working the Red Sox play-by-play [note to NESN: Feel free to pull out that last one for “sweeps week”] and I’d still watch the games with a fervor usually reserved for church-going or slamming Jaegermeister shots with teenaged Russian chicks. But in my mind, the presence of Jerry Remy turns each game into a religious experience. There’s a reason a little part of our hearts withers and dies with every national Sox broadcast: absence of Remy.

Finally, R.I.P. Curt Gowdy, who has passed away at the age of 86. What Boston-area baby boomer didn’t grow up with Curt and his easy way of delivering baseball games and commercials? l can still hear him saying, “Hi neighbor, have a ‘Gansett!’