Surreal

I don't read the Washington Post anymore. It's surreal and gives me a fuzzy head that comes from a conviction that reality is distant and elusive. For some. Mostly, the people at the Washington Post.

First, there's the story of one the top contributors to Hillary Clinton , the firm of International Profits Associates, (ranked 12th) that is facing new allegations of racketeering from former clients. The firm has given her $100,000 in her career. They apparently liked Bill better because paid him $125,000 in speaking fees. The story doesn't even warrant a page of it's own, it's sharing the page with a story about a Republican contributor who isn't suspected of racketeering, but the implication is that he's just as bad because he does support Republicans. And -- evil alert -- he gave money to the Swift Boat Veterans. GASP

However, Hillary's story is below the scroll. And it's apparently not new, even if you are hearing about it for the first time..

Issues facing the firm and its owner have been well documented. Last year, the New York Times reported that IPA's founder had been disbarred in New York and had a record for attempted larceny and patronizing a 16-year-old prostitute; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened one of its largest sexual harassment cases against the firm; and the Illinois attorney general has examined the firm's marketing tactics. At that time, Clinton's office said she was considering whether to return the money. She's still considering it.

The story, you just know, will die on that page. Never to be referred to again.

And to add to the bizareness, there's a link to a story headlined, "Nagin Suspects a Plot To Keep Blacks Away" that will die equally quickly. [The slow recovery and rebuilding is a sinister plot to to change the racial makeup and political leadership of his and other cities. And this explains why blacks haven't returned to New Orleans.]

Most of us suspect that the population figures of New Orleans - like many crime-ravaged cities with predominate black populations - have been faked for years. It's a time-honored tradition in St. Louis, and started out as a way to disguise the flight from urban decay and ending up a political necessity. We suspect that, but we are absolutely convinced that Nagin is ceritifably nuts. Which, really, makes reading the Washington Post painful. They seem convinced he is normal.