You know... when a person takes to the dais and orates, he/she can either be impassioned or calculating... you can tell by whether the speaker speaks from notes or an outline tempered, even impromptu, with the passion in his/her heart, or reads a prepared statement that's been totally prepared ahead so the words are coldly calculated to get a carefully desired effect. TelePrompTer readers are the worst.

---
There's a series of post-event and current rebuild pictures of Tokyo following a March of 1945 incendiary carpet-bombing run made before the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. You would hardly believe the change.. On the other hand, if you showed pictures of Detroit taken in 1945 and then retook those same areas today, you'd think Japan finally retaliated a few months ago.

---
Online headline: "Clinton ally speaks out on email fiasco * In an interview on Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Clinton 'needs to step up and come out and say exactly what the situation was, adding that from "this point on, the silence is going to hurt her." -- Hmmm... seems like the Democratic Party "forgiveness gloves" are off. Now... if Senator Feinstein would speak up about the US Post Office real estate contract her husband has exclusive rights to sell unused Post Office Properties to his friends at below market value.

---

Online headline: "President Barack Obama said on Sunday the United States would refrain from nuclear talks with Iran if there's no 'acceptable' deal.: -- Wait a minute.. "acceptable deal"... to whom? Is this one of those Bill Clinton parsing "IS" moments?

---

Online story follow-up: "A controversial ban on the American flag at the University of California, Irvine is over.

* The Associated Students of the university's legislative council instituted the ban last week, but on Saturday, the student government's executive cabinet vetoed the measure." -- Now, the Student Government's Executive Cabinet needs to ban Kool-Aid from its campus.

---

Online headline: "All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has reportedly agreed to a $114 million contract that will see him leave Detroit." -- Oooops, my bad.. thought Detroit's Council had paid Suh to leave so Detroit could restore its reputation.

---

HuffPOOPOO headline: "Obama To Announce Training Initiative For High-Tech Jobs" -- Good grief... High-Tech jobs should be their own initiative for job seekers.. Obamageddon is just trying to coattail success... something he really doesn't know about.

---

Online story: "A University of Oklahoma fraternity will close and its members have been suspended after video purportedly showing some of its members taking part in a racist chant was posted online late Sunday." -- Good grief.. no matter how vile or reprehensible, how can a campus ban a "teaching moment" on 1st Amendment rights and still be a part be an institution of higher learning? It also reeks of discrimination.. basically denying white students from singing along with Tef Poe et al. Tef Poe is the St. Louis-area rapper who called Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon a “f***ing coward” and a “cracker,” and attacked a black Missouri police captain, calling the captain a “house n*gger” in a new song released Wednesday. * Tef Poe is the same lyrical stylist who Al Sharpton praised as a “peaceful” Ferguson protester during an interview on his MSNBC show weeks after the Aug. 9 police shooting death of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson.

---

Yesterday's SPLOST "sales pitch" funded by the L-E really reveals how selfish most of the current board has been. Money for a questionably needed new Fine Arts Academy has been sitting around for 10+ years..in fact, more money has been socked away in the next SPLOST as well. In fact, the most of the current board is proud of "socking away" about $30,000,000.00 and even want another $6,000,000.00 to add to that. You know, $30 MILLION DOLLARS have been sitting around for years to fund a frivolous project, while that $30 MILLION could have been spent on needs for autistic students or classroom upgrades..even textbooks so every child had one in class.

---

L-E story: "Handicap accessibility construction at Shaw High School is among the items on the agenda for a Muscogee County School Board work session Monday." -- Good grief..the MCSB has accumulated ..hoarded..$30,000,000.00 to build a whimsical Fine Arts Academy, when it could have already addressed/fixed this problem, as well as the needs if the autistic, and fixed Spencer to properly honor William H. Spencer. The past several boards have CHOSEN not to do this..it's style over substance.

---

You know, we now know the MCSD/MCSB has in excess of $30,000,000.00 squirreled away that could have been spent to correct a number of problems that they didn't correct. Hold them responsible for using our assets better before giving them more.

---

In a FB exchange with a former Chair of the MCSB, even though she had no intentions of voting "no",she stated she had voted "yes" because "the NOs" were "bullies"...." bullies"?... It's more like the "NOs" being "Davids" to the "YES" GOLIATHS. So far, over $140,000.00 has been donated to get people to vote for something that should pass if the preceding SPLOSTs had simply been 'OK". Meanwhile, the "Davids" have rounded up about $10,000.00 worth of "pebbles" to defend the taxpayers. Game on!

---

L-E story: "A community group plans to gather Sunday to discuss the fatal shooting of an unarmed, black 19-year-old by a white police officer, who authorities say fired his weapon after he was assaulted." -- While it won't dispel anger or even misdirected anger, it would be nice, more balanced, if these type stories also mentioned the recent killings/ambushes of responding police officers whenever grouping other situations of similar results.

---

L-E Mike Owen story: "An Irate Taxpayer called last week after having visited the new City Services Center on Macon Road. * The lady said she approached the Center from the middle entrance off Macon Road and parked in the library parking lot because it's nearest to the front of the building. But she soon found out that the front is no longer used. So she had to walk all the way around to the back, where the front door now resides. * She was not happy and she let one of the deputy sheriff's at the entrance know about it. * "He told me I was supposed to park in the $6 million parking garage," she said." -- Mike.. you missed an opportunity to ask why there are 10 reserved spaces in the most desirable area of the parking garage. That's bad enough, but they are identified only by a number versus a name. This is the same area Councilor Thomas campaigned on as having moved public employee parking to the second floor so taxpayers would have more convenient access to City Services in the building taxpayers paid to build.

---

An "almost gets it" L-E "soundoff": "We see public service announcements about addiction to alcohol, cigarettes and cocaine. But I wonder why we never see announcements about addiction to marijuana. There are people who are slaves to marijuana." -- Good points but this "soundoffer" forgot to add the biggest addiction slaves.. the MCSD/MCSB's addiction to SPLOST dollars.

---

In the L-E's "Today in history feature: "In 1916, Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked * Columbus, New Mexico, killing 18 Americans." -- Samo-samo.. the Democrats had majorities in both Houses of Comgress as well as ownership of the White House.. 12,000 US troops were sent in response, but even then, the Democrats failed to secure the border. Wonder how Obama will celebrate the March 9, 2016 100th Anniversary of this.. buy brewing a new Mexican craft beer?

---

I'm shocked... after seeing "Kingsman: The Secret Service", I'm shocked to see it was the 4th most watched film over the weekend.. we went on Friday evening and were, literally, the only two people in the theater. We'd have left early had it not been for a misplaced faith in Michael Caine pulling a disaster out of the fire at the end. Maybe "Kingsman" investors went to the theaters and bought tickets but watched another move elsewhere in the theater complex.