Sick day thoughts

A few backlogged thoughts as I battle cold and fever.....

• Monday night's debut of "Better Know a Governor" on the Colbert Report (t's pronounced) was another wonderful addition to his "Better Know a.... " series, as his conversation with the governor of South Carolina was humorous as only Stephen Colbert can do. However, one of his jokes sort of poked at a media ire of mine: how the Catholic Church, in particular the Pope, is treated by the media. Now, Colbert's little poke about the biggest difference between Catholicism and Protestantism (crucifix vs. cross and no Pope) does center on the heart of what most people think. However, it continues to treat the Church as political entity, and thus the media message focus on political hints, not the main message. Watch this April when Pope Benedict XVI comes to the US, and tell me if the media focus is on what he might insinuate about Iraq and other global affairs in his homilies/sermons, or on the 200th anniversary of the Archdiocese of New York. Hint: the latter is the main and official reason for the visit.
• I went to my first rodeo on Saturday, seeing as I now live in cowboy country (1 hr from Cheyenne, and 2.5 hrs from Denver will do that to you). In my crazy mind, it was like a minor league baseball game. Yes, that's right, I compared it to baseball. Now, don't get me wrong, the competitors are world class, and in that respect it is more like a major league game at Coors Field. But all the side show stuff, particularly the head rodeo clown, made me think of the things minor league clubs do to draw attendance.
• My old home congressional district, the Illinois 14th, is something of a pride spot after J. Dennis Hastert was Speaker of the House. However, since he's retiring, the Republican primary to replace him is brutal. On one side, you have Chris Lauzen, career politician as an Illinois State Senator trying to jump to Washington as another former Illinois State Senator did a couple years ago. On the other, you have a moneybags trying to get any major political office, Jim Oberweis. Now, both come from the same town I was born in, and even graduated from the beautiful academy of which I am glad to be an alum. However, if I were voting Republican back home, this would be another lesser of 2 evils election. Oberweis has some out there views that clash with my world view, but Lauzen is a slick dirt bag as far as I'm concerned. I won't reference any stories I have been told about him, but needless to say I'll let the writer's observed actions of his oldest son (who graduated shortly after me) towards some of his classmates speak in support of those tales. In all honesty, I'd probably vote for Jim Oberweis, if mainly on the grounds that he's a political outsider (relatively speaking). If you want a rundown on how vicious this campaign is, just look here (sign in may be required)