By Steve Rhodes
“A plan to sweep the streets of the homeless is afoot in Washington, D.C., but it has a humane twist,” Sneed writes. “Buses will be revved up to take the homeless to shelters.”
That’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans; Democrats try hard not to look like the cold bastards that they are, while Republicans don’t care if they look like cold bastards.
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“The effort to clear the streets of Washington of its homeless population was unlike anything that former homeless man David Pirtle has witnessed,” AFP reports.
“‘I was on the streets when George W. Bush had his second inauguration in 2005 and it was nothing like this. There were no large-scale sweeps. I slept on Pennsylvania Avenue the night before and the night after the inauguration,’ said the 34-year-old who now works for the National Coalition for the Homeless.
“‘But as hard as the administration is going to try to make this look sanitary, the homeless are not going to be invisible. You can’t make 6,000-12,000 people disappear,’ he said, citing official figures for homelessness in Washington-proper and the greater metropolitan area, including suburbs in Virginia and Maryland.
“A dozen shelters will be open round-the-clock in Washington from Sunday until Wednesday, the day after Obama takes office, to provide temporary housing for the homeless.”
I wonder if they’ll get bus rides back to the streets.
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“The shelters will be equipped with televisions, showing live coverage of Obama’s swearing-in.”
Can you imagine the field day liberals would be having if this was a Republican inauguration?
Durbinology
Listen to your senior senator insult your intelligence as he defends himself against charges that he mishandled the Roland Burris imbroglio:
“Some people don’t take the time to look at the underlying circumstances and the facts. This was a very complicated case.”
Do explain, Senator!
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I’d like to see some poll numbers of Durbin’s approval rating just about now.
Kass Explains
“[Durbin’s opposition to Burris] stopped mattering the moment President-elect Barack Obama privately told Reid – with a metaphorical slap in the mouth the Chicago Way – to stop stalling and seat the guy from Illinois and get his home state’s political corruption out of the news and away from his inauguration festivities.”
So not so complicated after all.
Obama Went Here
Urinal on eBay.
Blago’s Heroes
Maybe the gang at Stalag 13 can get him out of the country.
Clockwork Cartoonists
As if the fact of global warming would somehow render cold weather an impossibility, winter temperatures always inspire the nation’s genius editorial cartoonists to wheel out a new version of an old, lame idea: that climate change must not be real because it’s freezing out there today.
The Sun-Times scores a two-fer today. First there is Jack Higgins depicted a bundled up skiier saying, “Am I well-covered? Am I perfectly protected??!” A man replies, “Yes. No one’s going to recognize you, Mr. Gore.”
Hardy frickin’ har!
But that’s not all!
Turn the page and you get a Duffy cartoon of a snowman with boxing gloves proclaiming “Won that round” with a fallen blob identified as “Global Warming” on the mat and looking dazed.
How clever!
I can’t wait until the next time we get to see a cartoon with an apparent crazy guy talking to himself on the street but it turns out he’s just on his cell phone!
Cartoon Madness
As long as we’re on the topic, let’s take a look at the editorial cartoon in today’s Tribune, from Chris Britt of the Springfield State Journal-Register.
The scene is of Barack Obama standing at a podium in front of the capitol with a crowd of people around him. To Obama’s right, Rod Blagojevich is standing on a railing saying “I’m going to fight!! I’m going to quote famous poets!! I’m going nuts!!!” Next to him is Roland Burris shouting “I want my seat!! God wants me to have my seat!! I’m one amazing guy!!!” Obama is looking glum. Next to him you see the words of an onlooker: “Off to an interesting start.”
Yes. Interesting because Obama enthusiastically supported both men screaming on the railing. I’m sure that’s what Britt meant.
Make All Your Weiners Wynders
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Weinery.
Posted on January 16, 2009