What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - Police in Ontario, CA arrested the head of a voter registration firm that has been accused of duping people into registering as Republicans. The firm was hired by the California Republican Party to register 70,000 new Republican for a fee of $7 to $12 per head. Of the 46 voters randomly interviewed by the Los Angeles Times, 80% said they had been tricked. Some said that they were told they were signing a petition for tougher laws against child molestation. The state GOP accused California's Democratic secretary of State of "using her office to play politics." I'm tempted to go off on the absurdity of the GOP's claim against the Secretary of State--like it's her fault that the firm the GOP hired was engaging in fraudulent voter registration tactics. Give me a break. No, instead I want to give a shout out the 46 newly registered voters who apparently cannot read. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I don't go around putting my signature on documents without reading what it is that I'm signing. As hard as it may be to believe this, there are some people out there--those who aren't constrained by scruples or conscience--who will not hesitate to take advantage of unwitting--and apparently illiterate--folks in order to benefit themselves. Finally, for my friends at GOP headquarters, maybe instead of blaming the Secretary of State you could spent a wee bit more time vetting the firms you employ for voter registration drives.

Halloween - The state of Maryland ordered all child sex offenders currently on parole to display pumpkin-shaped Halloween stickers reading, "No candy at this residence." The signs were mailed to 1200 registered offenders, who were also instructed to leave their porch lights off and stay inside after 6 p.m. "Halloween provides a rare opportunity for you to demonstrate to your neighbors that you are making a sincere effort to change the direction of your life," an instruction letter to the offenders stated. True enough, but did the government have to announce this program to the entire world? Now anyone who displays one of these sticker might as well put up a sign saying, "Keep Out. Registered Sex Offender." Talk about a modern day scarlet letter. I'm not saying that these folks deserve to be treated with kid gloves, but officials might have increased compliance with this directive if they exercised a bit more discretion.

Cuba - Cuba has twice as much recoverable oil in its offshore fields as previously thought. The state oil company Cubapetroleo said it believes there are more than 20 billion barrels of recoverable oil off Cuba's shores, not the 9 billion the U.S. Geological Survey estimated. The estimates are base on comparisons to known oil reserves found within similar geological structures off the costs of the U.S. and Mexico. If the reserves are confirmed, Cuba could equal the U.S. in oil production, which would generate unprecedented wealth for the Communist state. But oil industry analysts are skeptical of the claim. I'd say there is plenty of skepticism to go around. First you have the U.S. Geological Survey with its estimates which allegedly are way low; big surprise there. The U.S. usually looks upon Cuba rather favorably. Second, you have the Cubans saying they have twice as much oil as previously thought. So riddle me this, how does one manage to overlook 10 billion barrels of oil off one's own coastline? Then there is the third angle to this story. Admittedly, it is rather minor, and I almost hesitate to bring it up at all, but here it is--the Cubans haven't actually discovered any new oil yet. They're merely speculating that they have some untapped oil reserves based on the fact that they have similar rock formations that the U.S. and Mexico have.

And finally, we have another entry for the "so bizarre it must be true" file. I don't know what it is about Caribbean island nations. Maybe there is something funny in the water in this part of the world.

Jamaica - Police in Jamaica are investigating the theft of an entire beach. Come again. The 1,300-foot stretch of white sand was supposed to be the centerpiece of a new $108 million resort, but those plans are now on hold until the missing sand--some 500 truckloads--can be found. Police said the investigation was focusing on "the trucks themselves, the organizers, and, of course, there is some suspicion that some police were in collusion with the movers of the sand." Wow, they came up with that hypothesis all by themselves? These must be super cops, or something. How in the world do you steal a beach without anyone noticing? I know, maybe Jamaican officials could get some help from Cuba. Those dudes seem to have no problem finding stuff.