Reagan Clone Bid To Enter '08 Race Causing Stir

The 36-year-old clone of former President and Hollywood actor Ronald Wilson Reagan has stirred controversy by announcing his intention to enter the 2008 race for President of the United States. Some issues raising complaints from Democrats and Republicans alike include the alleged foreign birth of the Reagan clone and the fact that the original Ronald Reagan served the maximum two terms as President allowed by the US constitution.

"How can he be serious?" asked a flabbergasted former President Bill Clinton. "Eight years is all anyone gets in this office since the time of Truman. It's all I got, despite my high popularity, and it's all he should get, clone or otherwise. Just another blatant example of attempted Republican rule-bending."

Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney questioned the clone's right to run on the grounds that he was conceived and incubated in a Swiss laboratory and therefore does not meet the constitutional requirement to be born in the US in order to run for the country's highest office.

"Governor Romney's complaint simply holds no water," said Sir Ian Wilmut, the English scientist who led the team that produced the Reagan clone as well as the renowned clone of Dolly the sheep. "He may have had his conception and gestation abroad, but we flew him in his incubator to Hollywood before the end of what would be the final term of pregancy, where he was released as a plump and happy all-American baby boy."

Constitutional issues aside, Democratic National Committee budget director Carl Chidlow questioned whether the US would benefit from "cloned policies" from the 1980s that did little back then other than drive a wedge between the upper class and everyone else and solidify a permanent minority underclass. "The is the last thing we need today." Chidlow said.

Asked why he wished to enter the race as an independent, rather than as a Republican, the Reagan clone - standing aside a clone of the famous Black Beauty race horse - had this to say.

"Well, I look across the American landscape and I see a great nation in need of a deep breath of fresh hair. This breath should be inhaled by all Americans, regardless of politics, race, creed or Judeo-Christian denomination."

Commentary

Marion Jones, the gold medal winning Olympic runner is going to prison for six months (or so.) Is this right? African-Americans have long filled out the inmate rolls in the US prison system. And this is a system that is a major part of the US economy, directly supporting the paid employment of upwards of 100,000 prison guards, administrators, maintenance staff, kitchen workers and many more folks employed to support the prison system: drivers, construction workers, warehouse workers; and by further extension, the criminal justice courts with its teams of judges and lawyers and all the people whose livelihoods depend on serving their needs. And a lot of these jobs (prison guards, in particular) are union-protected. Sure, much of this employement would survive without prisoners. But prisons play a central role. Without the destination of incarceration for convicted criminals, the bottom falls out of the criminal justice economy. A high profile case like that of Marion Jones reinforces the notion that blacks go to prison, unlike similarly-tainted whites. Former NY Yankees pitcher is accused of taking steroids and lying about it. (the Roger Clemens who won 192 games for the Red Sox did no such thing.) Does anyone expect him to go to prison? Unlikely.

A New Year Begins

Hard to believe that anyone reads this blog, what with my delinquency re entries. But as my statistics page reveals, hundreds of people actually do read it. So for your benefit, here's another entry.

It's cold in Budapest. I myself have been suffering from a cold that dates back to the week before New Year's. I fasted for two days in the days before New Year's and that got rid of it pretty well. But at the Mormon New Year's party we went to I ate a lot of sweet deserts. Later that week my throat was on fire. I commanded myself to keep whatever bugs I was hosting to stay there and not spread. Within a few days the pain was gone, but a runny nose replaced it. A few days ago, I started to feel pretty lousy and a lot of green snot was passing through my nostrils, rendering my nose rather useless. So I started fasting yesterday; that is no food yesterday and today. I'm feeling better and my nose works again. Still some snot from the right nostril, but much less. Today I practiced Yoga, which was good. I've been drinking wheatgrass juice each day. I think I'll eat for real tomorrow, starting with fruit.

As far as work goes, I completed a pair of research projects just before Christmas for good money. Lately I've been teaching a lot of English to business executives for decent money. And I continue to write press releases for a Web Analytics firm for fair money. And I'm moving close to a contract to solve the ancient Etruscan language. If there's anyone out there who could help with this, please comment. I also have been writing articles on Budapest real estate for an in-flight magazine for not-bad money. Soon I will resume my teaching duties at McDaniel College, where I am Professor of Journalism for OK money. So there's no desperation in the air, but no holidays either, just now anyway. We do plan a short trip to the mountains in week or so, if we sort out accommodation.

Another bit of news: the Iraqi family I helped escape from Iraq is reunited safe and sound in Sweden.