Venezuela: Fairer than St. Pete?

Gooooood morning and happy Monday! Let's start the week by announcing the return of the TroxBlog weekly live chat coming at noon on Tuesday -- stop by with questions or comments about current events of your choosing. And a Merry Christmas this morning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who got an early Christmas gift from the Saints on Sunday. Sheesh.

Now, on to business:

* You might have noticed that they had a sham election in Russia over the weekend, in other words, kind of like what our own city of St. Petersburg did recently by keeping the citizens in the dark about the proposed new baseball stadium even as we were electing a new City Council. No need to clutter up elections by letting the citizens fret about any actual issues... I wonder, too, if Putin needed to issue a letter to citizens in the voting booth to "educate" them, the way that St. Petersburg tried to...

* On the other hand, who'd have thought that Hugo Chavez fellow would run a fair election in Venezuela, which he actually LOST? How often does THAT happen? What, did he mis-stuff the ballot boxes? Did he buy the wrong vendor's voting machines? Did he mis-program the touch-screens? I bet he is kicking himself for not declaring an Orange Terror Alert...

* I am not sure that I could care any less about this.

* My Sunday column, criticizing CNN's choice of debate questions, prompted loyal reader Jim Parker to point out this column in the Los Angeles Times, making some of the same points and some other interesting ones as well. For instance, is it a coincidence CNN spent such a disproportionate amount of time on immigration, the favorite cause of the network's demagogue-for-ratings Lou Dobbs?

* Lastly, I try hard not to be prejudiced by arrest mug shots, such as this one from a case in Lakeland. But tell me, before clicking on the link, what you think the guy is charged with...

Comments

Misdemeanor Solar Eclipsing

[John Gibson]

Having an incriminating look...

I don’t know, but whatever it is… he’s guilty.

[Don Mott]

Even though Putin is a two faced liar and a dangerous man I would have to give him credit for being smart. Chavez on the other hand is an ego-maniacal fool. I believe that with an ego larger than his brain he actually believed the people would overwhelmingly approve of his ridiculous attempt to be the supreme and almighty leader forever. But no matter what his thoughts were the Venezuelan people showed their strength and their distrust of him. Good for them! Don't buy from Citgo and Go Bucs Go!

I think we should elect “Hugo Chavez” and “Putin” to the St. Pete City Council… they’ll fit right in!

[guy]

Howard old pal, I hope you can get the Times to promote "a date that will live in infamy" on the front page on the seventh.
Last year ther was zilch.

[guy]

Is that the guy that stole all the Hams?.

[Jennifer W]

Gross, Howard. Just gross.

[john]

Whoa! Gary Shelton Got arrested?