We here at the BHC are delivering some light fare this week. Everyone needs a little break from being constantly hammered by the woeful inanities of the world. So here are some not-so-woeful inanities:

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Sans Grasso

As you may recall, former NYSE chairman, Richard Grasso, caused some stir when his compensation was deemed somewhat excessive, even by Wall St standards, which might indicate that something is really out of wack. Well, it turns out that there had been a little boardroom politicking going on, led by the estimable Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, et al. to actually boot Grasso out the door. From the story in the NY Times, Paulson was really gunning for Grasso:

In early February, Henry M. Paulson Jr., the chairman and chief executive of Goldman Sachs met with members of the New York Stock Exchange's compensation committee. The topic that day was Richard A. Grasso's pay. ...amid the uproar over that pay package, Mr. Paulson, along with the chief executives of Morgan Stanley and J. P. Morgan, led the boardroom putsch that culminated in Mr. Grasso's resignation as the exchange's chairman.

One former director said,

"Hank was the most aggressive in getting Dick out,"


Nov. 23, 2003, www.nytimes.com

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The Best Defense...

Bush's new millenium foreign policy, when stated cleary and succinctly, never fails to amuse, though, of course, the deeper reality is not amusing at all. We've heard it many times already and though none of our phalanx of researchers at the BHC has seen this advertisment yet, The RNC has apparently been hammering Illinios and other hapless mid-westerners with a tv spot which has got the Dems flippin'. It seems the Republican National Committee spot urges Americans "to support the president's policy of pre-emptive self-defense"

Let's say that once again, shall we, "pre-emptive self-defense."

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Soup Nazi

Thank heavens for Rush. He never fails to make an appearance here. And it seems like he hardly even has to try:

Do you listen to Democrats today? They make the country sound like there's still soup lines.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_112103/content/institute.guest.html

Uh, Rush...there still are soup lines. A google on "Soup Kitchens" can get you here:
http://4homeless.hypermart.net/soup.html#shelters

and to a directory of approximately 59 soup kitchens in 4 states. California, Rush's home, having the largest listing of 34 soup kitchens and shelters. As the website says, "Soup Kitchens: A U.S. Growth Industry."

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Perles of Wisdom

Richard Perle amazingly admits that international law forbade the invasion of Iraq. This pretty much stunned everyone who heard it at the time. But of course, Richard Perle and the rest of Bush-mania are clearly inhabiting a higher moral plain than the rest of the world and international law:

Influential Pentagon hawk Richard Perle conceded that the invasion of Iraq had been illegal.

But Mr Perle, a key member of the defence policy board, which advises the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said that "international law ... would have required us to leave Saddam Hussein alone", and this would have been morally unacceptable.

www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1089158,00.html

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Last Action Hero

Well, we here at the BHC promised levity and dear reader, you shall have it! It seems Ann Coulter is trying to broaden her audience with some new and savy marketing ploys. Now, there does not exist a dimension within which we at the BHC could associate the word "doll" and Ann Coulter and, apparently, neither does one exist for Ann nor her marketeers. These things will, no doubt, be flying off the shelves and, how lucky, just in time for Christmas, kids:

Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure
Amuse your conservative friends and annoy your liberal neighbors with the brand new Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure. This incredibly lifelike action figure looks just like the beautiful Ann Coulter, and best of all . . . it sounds like Ann, too! This highly collectible doll comes in a display box with information highlighting Ann's unique contributions to America's political discourse. If you can't get enough Ann Coulter, you'll want to order the Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure today!
http://www.thbookservice.com/BookPage.asp?prod_cd=c6230

Please, click on the link. Hours of amusement await. Oddly, the thing looks just like a Barbie but without the shapeliness. And of course, it would have to modelled after the talking Barbie because, other than talk, we at the BHC can't quite figure out what other "action" Ann might be performing. Or can we...?

The "tone" control knob would have several user-selectable settings:


____screech
/____yowl
/
0-----spit
\____shreik
\____rant


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Happy Holidays!