The Hot Seat A Weekly Look At People And Issues In The News
Listener of the House hears meat packers better than consumers
Hot Seat chefs have fired up the grill, George Nethercutt, so sidle on over and take a seat. Fear not, readers. We’ll make sure the ol’ rump roast’s well done - unlike those tainted burgers that killed three kids and sickened hundreds of others. As Les Blumenthal explains nearby, Rep. Nethercutt voted to block a safer meat-inspection system, one that could detect fecal contamination. The current system can’t, as several grieving Washington state families can attest. Americans may have to, uh, savor the old inspection system for another year or two, because George and his colleagues think the meat packing industry deserves a chance to rewrite the safety regulations. Oh, barf. Leave the red meat for the Republicans.
Save the earth, give up air conditioning
Since the barbecue’s got a Congressman sitting on it, let’s pile into the Volvo and pick up a box of take-out tofu. But wouldn’t you know it! The air conditioner doesn’t work. Before those meat-eating Republicans seized Congress, their predecessors, the granola-gobbling Democrats, banned freon to save the ozone layer. The new, politically correct auto refrigerants cost a fortune. We might deem it our civic duty to be roasted alive in our cars, were it not for the scientists who say the ozone panic was a hoax.
When politicians wear flags, naturally folks want to burn one
Look out, Old Glory. Congress is after you again. Back in 1989, Congress passed a law against flag burning - and inspired a few attention-hungry protesters to burn some. Today’s super-patriots don’t want a mere law. They want a constitutional ban. Flag burning’s nearly unheard-of, but won’t be if all the states have ratification debates about it. Hot Seat political tacticians recommend an alternative: Barbecue a politician.
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MEMO: The Hot Seat is an irreverent look at controversial issues in the news. The views expressed are those of the writer. Today’s Hot Seat was written by John Webster.