While still chairman of the Florida RepublicanParty, Jim Greer was revealed to have ordered the continuous shuttling ofemergency "notes" to him during a Republican National Committee (RNC)meeting. According to an April OrlandoSentinel profile, the "notes" were all blank. A Florida RNCofficial concluded that Greer was simply trying to make himself appearimportant to his colleagues. (In June, Greer was indicted on six felony countsrelated to raiding the state party's treasury.)
Fine Points of the Law
In April, Prince Edward Island (Canada)Judge John Douglas acquitted minor league hockey player Chris Doyle of assault,though Doyle had arrived uninvited at the home of his former girlfriend, wherehe annoyed and berated her, and then would not leave. A woman was injured whenDoyle punched a door, causing it to smash against her face, but Judge Douglasaccepted that Doyle honestly did not know the woman was behind the door. Saidthe judge, "If he was charged with being a colossal asshole, I would findhim guilty. Of 'assault causing bodily harm,' I find him not guilty."
In Two Cradles of Bizarre Politics
n Florida: At a forum in May for countyschool board aspirants in Orlando, Fla., candidate John Mark Coneytook the floor to read passages from the Bible and then to emphasize hissuitability for office by announcing that he, at age 53, is a virgin.
n Russia: Ontelevision in May, the governor of the Russian Republicof Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, recounted that he had been abducted in aspaceship in 1997 and forced to communicate with aliens telepathically.Ilyumzhinov added that later he entertained some alien beings in his apartment.One opponent seized the moment and called for an inquiry into whether Ilyumzhinovhad telepathically spilled government secrets while under the aliens' spell.Then, former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov announced he would challengeIlyumzhinov for the position of head of the World Chess Federation (whichIlyumzhinov has led since 1995), but yet another Russian chess icon, ArkadyDvorkovich (who is President Medvedev's chief economic adviser), said he stillbacked Ilyumzhinov because of the latter's superior managerial talent.
A Professional All the Way
In May, the chief media spokesman of the NyeCounty, Nev., sheriff's office, Detective David Boruchowitz, announced to themedia the arrest of a man charged with burglary and assault. The suspect'sname, he reported, was none other than Detective David Boruchowitz. The chiefinvestigator on the case, Boruchowitz told reporters, was also Detective DavidBoruchowitz. (Three days later, the charges were dropped, but somebody elsemade the announcement.)
Great Art!
- At a June concert outside Australia's Sydney Opera House, Americanmusicians Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed performed Anderson's 20-minute,very-high-pitched composition "Music for Dogs," an arrangement likelyto have been largely unmelodious to humans, who generally cannot hear such highpitches, but of more interest to dogs, who can. (News reports were inconclusiveabout the dogs' level of enjoyment.)
- West Virginia'sDivision of Culture and History announced in June it would hold astate-sponsored art exhibition to showcase the state's arts talent. In therecent past, the state had refused such projects because the last one, in 1963,turned out badly. The grand prize that year, supposedly representing thecharacter and tradition of the state, went to "West Virginia Moon,"which was a collection of broken boards and part of a screen door.
Arizona in Action
Arizona decided to showits soft side recently, by implementing a $1.25 million federal grant that itbelieves will save the lives of at least five squirrels a year. The state's 250endangered Mount Graham red squirrels risk becomingroadkill on Route 366 near Pima, so the state is building a rope bridge forthem to cross the road (in addition to several existing tunnels).
© 2010 Chuck Shepherd
