Adele Ferguson - Palouse worm, TV ruling qualify for comment

ITEM—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to take another look at whether the rare giant Palouse earthworm deserves protection as an endangered species. A petition to do so was rejected in 2007 by a finding there wasn’t enough information to conclude the worm needs protection. Old reports described the worm as 3 feet long, smelling like a lily and a spitter. New specimens found this spring near Moscow, Idaho, were no more than 12 inches fully extended.

COMMENT—Needs protection from what? A robin trying to down one would probably choke to death.

ITEM—In a sharp rebuke of the Bush-era crackdown on foul language on broadcast television and radio, a federal appeals court struck down the government’s near-zero tolerance indecency policy as a violation of the First Amendment protection of free speech. The rebuke was triggered by unscripted expletives uttered by U2’s Bono, Cher and Nicole Richie on awards shows. The broadcast media subsequently sued the Federal Communications Commission in 2006.

COMMENT—I’m sure that still won’t prompt anyone to try saying any of George Carlin’s seven dirty words not sayable over the air, but Lake Superior State University annually nominates for banishment “tired” words and phrases. The 2010 list: 1. shovel-ready. 2. transparent/transparency. 3. czar. 4. tweet. 5. app. 6, sexting 7. friend, as a verb. 8. teachable moment. 9. in these economic times. 10. stimulus.

ITEM—Isabella was the top baby name for girls, and Jacob for boys in 2009, the Social Security Administration has announced. Isabella made the top by ending the one year reign of Emma. Jacob has been riding in No. 1 for boys for 11 years.

COMMENT—Be honest now. Tell me. Have you ever even known a girl named Isabella or Emma or a boy named Jacob? Why aren’t the Bobs, Bills, Jacks, Jimmys, Marys, Bettys and Barbaras in the top ten?

ITEM—Firing by the Bush Administration of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 was “inappropriately political but not illegal,” a special prosecutor declared on closing a two- year investigation without filing charges.

Democrats demanded the investigation, saying the firing of the nine who included Seattle’s John McKay, was done in response to complaints by Republicans that the attorneys weren’t sufficiently active in looking into crooked elections.

McKay had declined to pursue the election for governor here where Dino Rossi won on election night, won in a machine recount but lost to Chris Gregoire when the Democratic party paid for a third count by hand and boxes of ballots turned up in King County that hadn’t been counted yet.

COMMENT—This was undoubtedly the biggest waste of time and money in that election.

The Democrats and McKay, who whined incessantly about being fired, all acted as if this was something that had never been done until meanie George W. came along.

I’ve been writing politics for over 40 years and learned at the beginning that one of the initial results of the election of a new president is the sacking of the U.S. attorneys if they are of the opposite party and replacement with party loyals.

It’s one of the perks of the office.

Bill Clinton replaced every U.S. attorney in the U.S. when he was elected and put his own people in.

Nobody complained.

Sure, it’s political, but as I said, it’s a perk.

The president can hire and fire them without having to ask anybody or give a reason.

McKay knew that when he got the job and if that wasn’t satisfactory he shouldn’t have sought the position.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, Hansvile, Wa., 98340.)