Well.  Peace Iraqi-style anyway.  And it was brokered by the Iranians of course.

Representatives of Muqtada al-Sadr - 50% firebrand Islamic cleric, 50% military strongman and 100% Shi’ite - inked a deal with representatives of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to end nearly 2 months of fighting involving Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. forces, Sadrists and other factions that has left hundreds dead in Sadr City.

It’s no wonder McCain gets confused!  How does anyone keep the Shiites who are members of al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army, also known as Sadrists but who are now supposedly breaking away from the Mahdi Army to form their own militias that may or may not be supported by Iran separate from the Iraqi Security Forces separate from the Sunnis known as the “Sons of Iraq” who used to be aligned with al-Qaeda but who are now apparently aligned with the U.S. military and ostensibly the Iraqi government thanks to $10 per day but present problems for Prime Minister Maliki because they are Sunni and separate from the Iraqi Security Forces?

Bottom Line: There’s always enough money for war.

Courtesy Jaypeg21.

Besides alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, unregulated dietary supplements, over-the-counter medications, food additives and the tens of billions of dollars worth of prescription pills Americans stuff into their collective gullets each year, can you think of a drug the media is less interested in these days than marijuana?

We can’t.

Marijuana, previously known as the gateway foot soldier who mercilessly fought for the hearts and minds of our children in the War On Drugs, has fallen as unforgivingly and irrevocably off the media radar screen as the Beanie Baby craze of the 1990’s. Who knew that former Gov. Bill Richardson signed a medical marijuana bill into law while he was governor of New Mexico and Presidential candidate? Has anyone been following the `Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act’ (H.R. 5842) introduced into Congress on April 17, 2008 by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) which seeks to reclassify marijuana as just another prescription drug?

We’re certain there are many who follow this issue closely, but most have no idea because the media doesn’t care about marijuana anymore.  We can’t say the same for the Federal Government, but that’s another story.

Marijuana is already treated like a prescription drug in a dozen states.  Joel Stein hilariously writes in The Los Angeles Times today how easy it was to get a prescription:

When I got called in, I entered a doctor’s office different from any I’d ever been in. It contained only a tiny desk, two chairs, a small TV and two cans of Glade. Also, the doctor wore a Hawaiian shirt.

He took my blood pressure and asked what I was suffering from. “Anxiety,” I said. And then “occasional insomnia.” And even though he seemed to be moving on, I blurted something about headaches. The only malady that would have made me more similar to every human being throughout history would have been “these painful little pieces of skin that peel up next to my fingernails.”

The doctor followed up on my insomnia, however, and asked if I was having work problems or relationship issues as he handed me a photocopy of a handwritten list of psychiatrists. He’d give me a recommendation for medical marijuana for six months, he said, and would extend it to one year if I saw a therapist. The whole thing took about four minutes.

Great stuff, huh?

Well, not so much for the people in New York City.  More specifically, not so great for people of color in New York City.  While most of the country and the media has come to accept marijuana as the relatively benign drug that it is while simultaneously acknowledging its medical benefits, New York City cops have been using it as a blunt tool to arrest minorities. Professor Harry Levine of Queens College and Deborah Peterson Small, executive director of Break the Chains, prepared a report entitled “Marijuana Arrest Crusade: Racial Bias and Police Policy in New York City 1997-2007” that details how New York City cops use small amounts of marijuana as the justification for arresting tens of thousands of mostly black and latino youths every year.  The Village Voice’s Nat Hentoff has quite a bit to say about this issue, but that’s about it.

Bottom Line:  Police shootings get all the headlines.  Just because the media has lost interest in marijuana doesn’t mean its pointless illegality isn’t still ruining lives.

Courtesy redjar.

Next time you go to Venice, don’t feed the pigeons. An ordinance that took effect on May 1, 2008 makes it illegal to feed the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square. Undoubtedly a crushing blow to every bird-brained tourist in Venice whose must-do list includes wearing a suit of winged-rats.

Bottom Line: MediaHerd visited Venice once and complained bitterly about the swarms of pigeons. If we had a platform, this ordinance would be on it. Congratulazioni Venice!

“McKibbiners” getting inspired.

Courtesy Christian Hansen.

Demographically sealed-off from their neighbors, “McKibbiners” - residents of the cramped loft spaces at 248 and 255 McKibbin Street in East Williamsburg (or Bushwick, depending on who you ask), Brooklyn - brave bedbugs and irony overload to enjoy the artistically synergistic effect of housing over 500 hipsters in very, very close proximity.

The New York Times detailed life on McKibbin Street for these modern day Dylan Thomases, Julian Schnabels and CBGB-esque headliners.  Just imagine what’s gestating, artistically, on McKibbin Street:

“It’s rare to have so many scenes stacked like they are here,” said an 18-year-old poet living in 255 who gave his name as Eirehan Failte. “Even when it’s really loud, it’s still better than some terrible stock-trading roommate listening to Fox in the next room.”

Rare indeed Mr. Failte.  Unfortunately, now that you and your fellow McKibbiners have been profiled in the Times there surely will be a stampede for the exit given the deep seated anxiety located within every hipster that they aren’t all that different.  We call it the Vampire Weekend effect.

“The community is a microcosm of artists, musicians and D.J.’s,” said Kevin Farrell, who is 29 and works in video production. “You don’t have to leave this building, with the exception of food. I don’t really speak to the locals.”

How fortunate for the locals.  Cutting oneself off from outside influences is vital for the development of any artist. However, don’t ask Mr. Farrell if the future Jean-Michel Basquiat roams the streets of Bushwick.

Another resident, Brian Belukha, a 23-year-old musician who describes his look as “intergalactic space castaway,” decided to leave after someone threw a 40-ounce beer bottle at his head.

“It’s a dorm, and it’s insane. It’s just insane,” said Mr. Belukha, who plans to head to Berlin within the month. “I’m a very private person, and I’ve been forced to try to develop some degree of privacy, but my room doesn’t have a door.”

How ironic that someone with a look as novel as “intergalactic space castaway” would move to a city whose hipster bona fides were being questioned 4 years ago.

Bottom Line:  There might still be time to move to Kansas City.

It’s official.  The media herd is on the move and things don’t look good for Sen. Clinton.  The pundit media is squawking, flapping, preening and nesting their opinion into every crack and cavern that Sen. Obama will be the nominee.

Jim Rutenberg at The New York Times writes in “Pundits Declare the Race Over” that “the conventional wisdom of the elite political pundit class that resides on television shifted hard, and possibly irretrievably, against Senator Hillary Clinton’s continued viability as a presidential candidate.”  We don’t know about “elite” Jim, unless you define “elite” as having the biggest platform from which to spew forth.

Tim Russert, Dean of The Sunday Talking Heads, declared from the “boiler room” of MSNBC: “We now know who the Democratic nominee’s going to be, and no one’s going to dispute it.”

Rutenberg collects snippets of the Pundit Media punditry:

“I think there’s an increasing presumption tonight that Obama’s going to be the nominee,” Chris Wallace.

. . .

Speaking on CNN, David Gergen, a former adviser to several presidents, including Mrs. Clinton’s husband, said, “I think the Clinton people know the game is almost up.”

Stating it more bluntly, Bob Franken, the political analyst, told the MSNBC host Dan Abrams shortly after 2 a.m. Eastern time, “Let’s put it right on the table: It’s over. It’s over.”

. . .

Bob Schieffer on the CBS News program “Early Show”: “Basically, Maggie, this race is over.”

George Stephanopoulos on the ABC program “Good Morning America”: “This nomination fight is over.”

Matt Lauer on the NBC News program “Today”: “Good morning, is it over?”

The commentary was punctuated by some brutal morning newspaper headlines: “Toast!” blared The New York Post; “Hil Needs a Miracle” declared The New York Daily News.

Yet another example of how quickly and predictably the media can go from Flock Alert to Herd Alert. A Migration Alert that Obama is the nominee is on the horizon.

Does anyone remember the “gas tax holiday” that was supposedly the “defining issue” of both Indiana AND North Carolina?  Were the results in Indiana and North Carolina so spectacularly different from what the polls had predicted?   What was it that caused such a cascade of pundit media?

Bottom Line: The Pundit Media couldn’t wait to pronounce Sen. Obama the nominee.  It’s a game amongst the punditry to see who can first and most authoritatively announce the new narrative. Watch carefully for the following narratives over the coming days and weeks:

1. How long will Clinton stay in the race?
2. How does Obama match up against McCain?
3. Clinton loaning money to her campaign is a “bad sign.”
4. You’ll begin to hear A LOT about the supposed “nuclear option” where Clinton will attempt to get the Michigan and Florida votes.  The media LOVES anything termed a “nuclear option” because it signals something very important and very devastating and consequently worthy of their punditry.
5. Is Clinton ripping the party apart?

One thing you will not hear much more about the “gas tax holiday.”  Can someone please email us the link to Clinton’s legislation she supposedly introduced on this matter? It’s unbelievable that the “gas tax holiday” was ever an issue considering it was dead on arrival because Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is against it and wouldn’t introduce the legislation anyway.

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt (don’t ask, we don’t know who they are either) rubbed elbows with Nick Lachey, Hugh Hefner, Chelsea Clinton, Jerry O’Connell and others last Friday night at the Brownstable Brown Gala - just one of the many exciting festivities enjoyed by lots of people before being treated the next day to the tragic spectacle of watching the second place finisher Eight Belles snap both of her ankles after crossing the finish line and get euthanized on the track.

Life long horse better Edgerton Robinson hated to see a good horse go down, but he also said “It was a sad scene, but what can I say? … It’s a part of the sport.”  That’s right Edgerton.  If Eight Belles didn’t want any part of the “sport” she should’ve stayed in the pasture.

Bottom Line:  Horses are magnificent animals. When they aren’t being shipped to Canada for slaughter they are being bred to entertain for a profit by getting pushed to their physical limits.  It’s fascinating to see how certain sports involving animals are justified while other sports involving animals earn you prison time. We aren’t saying class has anything to do with it.

For those of you who don’t follow her blog as faithfully as we do, some of you might be interested to learn that Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters has her own blog called “Welcome To The Fast Lane.”  Recently, Sec. Peters weighed in on the gas tax holiday that has become, according to ABC and NBC news, the “defining issue” of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.

According to Sec. Peters, the Bush Administration remains neutral on the issue, but she’s willing to wade in:

As the primary federal funding mechanism for our national highway system, the gas tax is increasingly outdated, inefficient, and unpopular.  When President Eisenhower envisioned our interstate system, he favored a user-pay method of financing its construction and maintenance.  Unfortunately, he was limited by the technologies of his day.  Now, however, we have exciting new financing mechanisms that are supplementing the gas tax while simultaneously reducing congestion.  Through the broad deployment of high-speed, open road tolling technologies coupled with hundreds of billions of dollars of private sector capital, we can begin eliminating our dependence on a failed gas tax-based transportation model.

Sec. Peters is clearly in favor of eliminating the gas tax.  Since Sec. Peters hasn’t been asked to resign, we can only assume that the Administration favors this approach as well.

Bottom Line: Sec. Peters must really lover her job because we don’t know anyone else who would refer to open road tolling technologies as an “exciting new financing mechanism.”  We can only assume that the hundreds of billions of dollars in private sector capital is coded language for privatizing the interstate system.

Calling it an unheralded success in the war on drugs, the Economist is reporting that methamphetamine use has been on the decline in the United States since 2005. Why? Teens are scared of meth-mouth:

When it comes to methamphetamine, though, out come pictures of “meth mouth”—the rotten teeth caused by heavy use. This message gets teenagers. When Safe Streets, a community group, asked pupils to design their own anti-drug posters, many emphasised cosmetic hazards over chemical ones.

Bottom Line: That’s a nasty mouth.

The defining moment of Sunday’s town hall interview in Indianapolis with Sen. Hillary Clinton came at the outset when host George Stephanopoulos stated that the “[g]as tax has become the defining issue in this primary and in North Carolina.” ABC News president David Westin, who blasted the rise of opinion media nearly 4 years ago, should have fired Stephanopoulos on the spot for substituting his opinion for that of the voters of Indiana and North Carolina. Unless the “gas tax holiday” proposed by Sen. Clinton and Sen. McCain represents a comprehensive plan to address the economy, Stephanopoulos must not care that that the actual voters of North Carolina list the economy, followed by health care and the Iraq war as their defining issues.

Meanwhile, over at NBC, Tim Russert intoned dramatically during the introduction of his interview with Sen. Barack Obama that “[i]ssues such as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright and the soaring cost of gasoline and food prices dominate the debate.” In a March Gallup poll, 35% of voters polled listed “the economy in general” when asked to name the most important issue currently facing the country, followed by Iraq (21%) and healthcare (8%). Unless you count “lack of respect for each other” (1%), Rev. Jeremiah Wright and/or race relations was not mentioned among the 27 issues. Undeterred, Russert spent the first 18 minutes of the interview grilling Sen. Obama about Rev. Jeremiah Wright (”What has the controversy over Reverend Jeremiah Wright done to your campaign?”) before moving on to ask Sen. Obama whether he was tough enough to defend his patriotism (”Many superdelegates, undecided ones, have said to me, ‘Is he tough enough? How is he going to respond? How is he going to defend or define his patriotism?”).

Russert, determined to avoid probing policy questions, prodded Sen. Obama about his ability to connect with white voters (”in 26 of the 29 contests you’ve been involved in you have lost white voters who do not have college degrees. How do you connect with them? What’s wrong?”). Satisfied, Russert moved on to the same “defining issue” recognized by Stephanopoulos (”One issue that has really defined the two campaigns here in Indiana is this debate over gasoline. Why are you against giving taxpayers in Indiana, North Carolina, a relief from federal gasoline tax this summer?”).

Then, addressing something on everyone’s lips these days, Russert waded into the thorny issue of ethanol subsidies (”Would you be willing to change ethanol subsidies or suspend some of these requirements so that people are not using corn for ethanol, but using corn for food and lowering food prices?”). Notice the leaps of conventional wisdom - ethanol subsidies are distorting the free market to such an extent that, unlike decades of other farm subsidies, it’s putting pressure on the cost of food. Of course, we all remember the protest marches across Mexico last year when the same subsidies doubled the cost of corn tortillas? And never mind the hundreds of millions of upwardely mobile Indians and Chinese whose demand for meat is pressuring food prices. With focused energy, Sen. Obama set the record straight on where he stands when it comes to food (”my top priority is making sure that people are able to get enough to eat.”). Perhaps he should promise a chicken in every pot?

Russert, known for his rapid-fire delivery of pointed questions, put Sen. Obama in the line of fire: “How long before our automobiles are off of gasoline oil and, and using something like an alternative fuel?” That’s just want Americans want to know - when exactly can I start gassing up my car with something other than gas - like water maybe?

Rather then ask Sen. Obama how he plans on getting us out of Iraq, Russert asked Sen. Obama if he supported limited strikes in Iran or whether he supported Sen. Clinton’s position that she would “totally obliterate” Iran should it launch a nuclear strike against Israel. Never mind that Iran has been accused of supporting the Iraqi militants for years or that, according to our own government, Iran stopped it’s nuclear weapons program in 2003. Why let facts get in the way of a juicy narrative?

Obviously finding nothing of interest currently going on in the world, Russert pushes forward with additional questions about new and exciting scenarios: “Do you think the American people would want to send American men and women to Saudi Arabia to defend them against Iran?”

Apparently unaware of that the Pentagon is currently drawing up plans to ship 7,000 troops to Afghanistan because we can convince our NATO allies to do more, Russert ponders

Afghanistan. The situation, according to some, is deteriorating as the Taliban continues to reconstitute itself. Would you, as president, be willing to have a military surge in Afghanistan in order to, once and for all, eliminate the Taliban?

And then, in the defining moment of Russert’s interview, having obviously covered all of the substantive issues, he says the following:

In the remaining minutes, let me talk to–about some politics. You said, “Indiana may end up being the tiebreaker.” Right? That’s where we are. So if Hillary Clinton wins here, she wins?

That’s right. It’s time to move away from all of the detailed questions about substantive issues and ask a few questions about politics.

Bottom Line: Two of America’s most influential journalists wasted precious moments with two of the three people who might be our next president to talk about Reverend Jeremiah Wright and gas-tax holidays. They took a holiday from their jobs.

Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto claimed the top spot on Time Magazine’s reader selected top 100 most influential people of 2008 finalists this year, taking out Korean “pop sensation” Rain, last year’s runaway winner, by more than 300,000 votes.  Rounding out the Top 5 on Time’s reader selected list are Stephen Colbert, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks.  Hence, the problem with a pure democracy - Stephen Colbert being the exception.  Reference this list when somebody wonders who put Hamas in charge in the West Bank.

With ironic symmetry, the Dalai Lama is ranked dead last (#207) on the reader selected list while claiming the first position in Time Magazine’s list under Leaders and Revolutionaries.

Bottom Line:  Take with a grain of salt any Top 100 list that includes Miley Cyrus, Michael Bloomberg (as a “Scientist and Thinker” whose environmental street cred is emphasized by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and whose name is bouncing around as the next possible “dream ticket” companion to Sen. Obama) and Baitullah Mehsud, the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Conflating these people on the same list fails to give proper context as to their true influence over the events that shape our lives.  Talk about trying to appeal to the broadest possible audience!