The Hot Seat Our Weekly Look At People In The News

Calling all conservatives

It’s time for all good conservatives to deal with their radical fringe. Talk radio hosts won’t do it. They depend on nut cases to keep their ratings up (translation: keep their jobs). Politicians won’t do it. They won’t risk losing the anti-gun control money at election time. George Nethercutt had a chance to take a strong stand in Colville this week but instead, he soft-pedaled some guy who was threatening more anti-government violence. Nethercutt’s a nice guy and maybe it’s not his nature. Maybe it’s a matter of votes. None of that matters. It’s up to individuals with reasoned conservative views to handle the violent fringe before they kill again.

Making mountains from molehills

Is anyone else fed up with all this whining about Take Our Daughters to Work Day? You know what the problem is? The problem is we’re relying on groups like the Ms. Foundation to do the things we parents should be doing. Like instilling values and self esteem in girls. It is a parent’s responsibility to recognize the right moments to teach all children these important lessons. But noooooo. We’ve managed to polarize this simple, well-intended effort. The men are in one corner and the women in the other, both screaming for equity. Sheesh.

Real life political animals

Imagine clicking the TV remote and hearing Bill Clinton bleat like a sheep. Bob Dole bray like a jackass. Listen to Newt Gingrich growl like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. It’s now possible. The crack Hot Seat technology staff is out on parole, er, back at work and they’ve invented the Sonic Political Animation Machine so people can vent their political angst in a non-violent way. That’s right, angry types, get SPAM. It connects quickly to any television, only $2,995. Cash.

MEMO: The Hot Seat is a feature of the Sunday Opinion page. If you would like to nominate someone for the Hot Seat, call Scott Sines at 459-5405.