READING BETWEEN THE LINES

June Smith

My views on some of this week’s news:

▪ Apparently, visiting with his mother in Williamsburg, VA, 120 days a year isn’t enough for John Hinckley, Jr. He’s waiting for the ruling for more free time from the judge who heard his plea in November.

A video has surfaced showing Junior strolling around Williamsburg. So many historic sites, so little time to see them all. So much for the not guilty by reason of insanity for shooting President Regan outside a DC hotel in 1981. He’s sane enough to want more freedom.

For now, he’ll have to settle for prowling around the grounds at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington where he is “kept” when he’s not visiting his mom.

Trending: Thank You

▪ The government is getting ripped of millions of dollars from food stamp recipients who are illegally selling their electronic benefits cards for cash—to those in the ‘Hood and online at eBay and Craigslist—and requesting replacement cards.

New rules of the game are being proposed by the Agriculture Department. The Department wants states to “demand formal explanations” from those who ask for replacement cards more than three times a year.

Consider it the equivalent of the Little League Mercy Rule, only in this case, it’s the taxpayer that’s being slaughtered rather than the team of thieves made up of the government-funded recipients of the food stamps and the smarmy retailers who swap cash for the cards. There’s also stealing among the thieves: store owners take a cut from each deal.

▪ Here’s another example of your tax dollars at work: Opportunity, NASA released a photo taken by Opportunity, it’s rover on Mars, took a photo of its shadow in March. NASA released it last week and the Associated Press playfully announced it.

It’s understandable. The little robot has been there since 2004, was in the same spot on the Red Planet for the last five months, and probably just wanted to send a postcard home. 

Twin robot, Spirit, stopped communicating with NASA in 2010. No official word on Spirit’s whereabouts or if the meter is still running.

Opportunity is moving on to explore more rocks and photo ops.

▪ Cattle call for Veep. Call 1 800 Please-pick-Me! Ask for Mitt.

▪ Obama’s campaign said Romney “is trying to move the goal posts” by reversing his position on unemployment”. Unfortunately, the defensive coach on Team Obama read the play wrong and dropped the ball by not getting the facts right.

▪ Mitt’s feeling mighty good about his chance to move to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  “Day One”, his new ad, outlines which Obama policies he’ll reverse first. He’ll be changing lots of things. No word yet on whether sour grapes will be planted in the Rose Garden as a memorial to Obama.

▪ No details have been released on the cause of the fire aboard the USS Miami, the nuclear-powered sub dry docked at Portsmouth for a 20-month makeover, and the investigation “will take some time” according to the commander of Submarine Group Two in Groton, CT, where the sub is based.
As soon as the smoke and noxious fumes clear, an assessment of the damage will be made. It’s likely the high priced repairs won’t be made to the 22-year-old attack sub, far from state-of-the-art, or that she’ll ever return to service.

The good news is that no one was injured, there’s little risk of another fire breaking out, and that no nuclear components were “threatened”.

▪ Lady Gaga honked off most of Thailand after tweeting about wanting to buy knockoffs from the seedy street vendors from her private jet as it cooled its engines on the runway.

She said, “I wanna get lost in a lady market and buy fake Rolex.”  Apparently, boasting about the sleazy underground shopping opportunities is frowned upon by the Thai. You can do it but you can’t talk about it. 

Despite the tweet tussle, Gaga was greeted by a screaming mob at the airport.
Wonder if she’ll come across any bootlegged Lady Gaga CDs while she’s at the illegal mall.

I accidentally heard a few of Obama’s comments on Memorial Day before I could switch the channel. He was at Arlington National Cemetery talking about those who sacrificed their lives for this country “in every corner of the globe.” Someone needs to tell him the Earth is round.

Did the Butler do it? Only the Pope and a flock of Cardinals know for now but the Holy See is about to part.
 
▪ So much news, so many signs of how close we are to the edge of the slippery slope, and so many people insisting that I “Have a Good Day!”
 

June Smith is the widow WBAL talk show host and Sun columnist, Ron Smith, who posthumously received an Emmy® for his lifetime achievement in television and radio at WBAL in Baltimore, MD. Smith was a media titan in the central Maryland area and beyond for almost forty years. Mrs. Smith’s tribute website honoring his legacy is www.FriendsofRonSmith.com.  She is working diligently to raise one million dollars for the Ron Smith Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at Johns Hopkins. Her email is june@friendsofronsmith.com.


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