Toxic News

Hub started laughing, "Boy, does she have us pegged!" He was commenting on Rekha Basu's column, Escape the media onslaught , in this morning's Spokesman Review. In it she tells of how a vacation void of television, radio, newspapers and the Internet wiped away layers of stress yet left her craving her addiction - the news. "Especially you," he went on to say.

Right. If I could wean myself from it for even a few days my blood pressure and anxiety levels would probably diminish to the point I could cut if not eliminate all medications."I might try," I though to myself, "I've been pretty much a one trick pony of late, doing little more than ranting about politics." I then resumed reading my portion of the paper.

Headlines - Jail unlikely for dogfighters and Woman says TSA forced her to remove piercings for starters. I wasn't off to a good start.

Oh, well. The sun was shining. The dogwalk would be pleasant. Except those #@!!!*! labs down the street were out - again. As usual they came racing right at us, barking their fool heads off and, as usual, putting Bacchus on full alert. There was actually a time when I looked forward to our morning walks. Really. Now I dread them. Blood pressure up a couple of points; anxiety level rising.

One more call to animal control. Spoke with a very helpful young man this time. He told me to get pepper spray. We discussed other options too. Did you know that as a citizen you can cite the owners of free roaming dogs? I didn't. Pressure dropped a bit.

Hub had me read Peggy Noonan's column about Hillary - how if we haven't gotten it through our thick heads who she is and how she operates and what she represents by now we never will. I sighed and shrugged. Only time will tell.

Everything quieted down but I couldn't resist turning on the news just before lunch. Wanted to catch the weather. But I was a tad early.  The discussion was about "cage fighting" for kids . As young as six. This is how it is described...

"- Mixed martial arts was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV.

But the sport often derided as “human cockfighting” is branching out.

The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer."

...and this is how it looks...



Catch that last move? Where one kid picks up the other and slams him head first into the mat? Great stuff for six year olds!

Okay, I'll admit defeat. I'm a news junkie. I'll stick with my meds. And politics. But I will not give up blogging! It's the only stress relief I've got that won't destroy my liver!