Saturday Shorts

The Patriot Facts.
Some --on sports talk radio mostly -- have suggested that the Patriot's unauthorized use of a camera to steal the defensive signals of the Jets last week is no big deal. Perhaps. (I think it was a big deal because is indicates that you're willing to cheat -- and that speaks to one's integrity.) However, the fine imposed by the NFL wasn't enough to punish the sheer arrogance of Coach Bill Belichick in thinking he was above the law. Next: Expect Belichick to continue issuing non-apologies as some disgruntled fan with a J.D. degree would likely sue the NFL for fraud. The NFL has deep pockets.

NY Times Poor Business.
According to this report, the NY Times offered MoveOn a discount on their ill-advised "General Betray Us" advertisement. (Of course only NYT readers saw the ad; it's exposure was exponentially increased when other media made the ad an issue.) However, is there a link between poor business decisions such as this and the junk status of its bonds. Next: Expect the public editor to roll up and play dead on this.

29 SEP UPDATE: I blew the call on this one.

Job Fair.
I was at a job fair in northern Virginia this week. This was a pretty huge event. Guess who had the longest lines to garner a couple of minutes with a job representative. How about the CIA and the DIA? Interesting.

TZM - DOA?
I saw about five minutes of the new TZM program and that was more than enough. If you go to a restaurant to eat and then leave to go home -- where is the responsibility to sign autographs for the fans as you make your way to the car? Who's the bigger jerk -- the autograph seeker or the celebrity? Thirty minutes of that -- for five times a day? I don't think so.

Republican Candidates.
I like most of them. I don't love any of them. None are ringing my bell or prompting me to put a check in the mail. However, they do make for interesting cabinet selections. Rudy Giuliani as the Attorney General; John McCain for Defense; Mike Huckabee for Housing and Urban Development; Mitt Romney as Treasury Secretary; Duncan Hunter for Homeland Security; Ron Paul for Health and Human Services (he is an MD after all); and Fred Thompson for vice president as long as he will be more an Agnew than a Cheney.