Skattering . . .

Skattershooting . . . (10/13/99)

Skattershooting while waiting for the weather to resemble something other than August . . .

Al Gore realizes that no one is paying attention to him so he declares himself an underdog to Bill Bradley and moves his headquarters to Tennessee. If the trick was to gain media exposure, it worked like a charm.
Speaking of Gore, he tells Larry King that he's moving the campaign from "K-Street to K-mart". Moments later, a political pundit on the show tells King that Gore should fire whomever is on his campaign staff that comes up with goofy sayings like that. Four days later, on Fox News Sunday, Gore says he's moving the campaign from "K-Street to Main Street".
Jessie Ventura gets roasted for his interview in Playboy ("Organized religion is for weak minded people"), but at least he doesn't run away from his comments after the fact. You may not appreciate his comments, but if you want honesty in politics you get it with Ventura.
I'm constantly amazed at the reaction to any alleged crime committed by anyone rich and white. Tim Richardson, as you undoubtedly have heard, allegedly kills his wife in their affluent Park Cities area home. After that, the DA tries to have his bond raised and even the most insignificant of court hearings in the case brings out the media. If the same crime were to have been committed in a poor section of Oak Cliff, the defendant would be sitting in jail and you would be lucky to read about it in a one paragraph blurb in the "Metro Briefs" column in the Dallas Morning News.
For those who are appalled at the exclusion of a prayer before high school football games, would you feel the same way if the season had begun with a voice over the PA system instructing you to kneel towards Mecca and then hearing a prayer that you did not believe in? Your efforts to have that practice banned would only be successful in court if you argued that using a school microphone and a school audio speaker is the equivalent of "establishing" a religion in violation of the First Amendment. If your argument is correct (and it is) why is it not it equally persuasive for those who do not subscribe to Christianity?
The Jon Benet Ramsey investigation is ridiculous. After three years without an arrest and with no new information being brought forth, I think we can safely conclude there is a reasonable doubt about any potential suspect's guilt. But then again, see above note about crime involving the rich and the white.
Anyone else think Pat Summerall and John Madden are the worst broadcast team on TV? Note last week's Cowboys-Eagles game when Summerall yells "fumble" when the ball never left Duce Staley's possession. On the very next play he tells us, on an incomplete Eagle pass, that "Emmitt Smith was the defender". Madden, on the other hand, babbles in the converse: "See that's holding because he puts his hand there. If he had not put his hand there, that wouldn't be holding. But when he puts his hand up there like that, that's holding and that's why the ref threw the flag. You can't hold like that if your an offensive lineman". Thanks, John.
I'm still not convinced Hillary Clinton will run for the Senate.
The world's population has doubled since 1960 and is now at 6 billion. I'm no mathematician, but it seems like we've got growth at an exponential rate with only so much land to go around. The bad news: all the growth in in third world countries. The good news: maybe we can lease out West Texas.
ABC's Once and Again may be the best new show on TV. If you are divorced with kids, I suspect it would be the equivalent of a one hour therapy session.

Barry Green is the District Attorney for the 271st Judicial District.