The World Around You

Another life cut too short by drugs…

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let him know the masseuse had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

The Australian-born actor was nominated for an Oscar for “Brokeback Mountain,” where he met his wife, actress Michelle Williams, in 2005. Ledger and Williams had lived in Brooklyn and had a daughter, Matilda, until they split up last year.

Heath20Ledger20found20dead207C20TuscaloosaNews.com

One of the odder Presidential candidacies in recent memory officially ended today:

In a three-sentence statement on his website, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson announced that he has resigned from the Republican presidential campaign.

“Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.”

NPR: Thompson Out of GOP Presidential Race

I heard a comment made last week on NPR…I apologize that I can’t remember who made it, that the Clintons were going to do everything they could to make Senator Obama look like the “angry black man”. I hope that they didn’t succeed last night.

This campaign is way too important to let the attacks become the story of the day. People should be picking a candidate as the best of a bunch of good choices, not the one of which they are the least afraid.

Democrats go for the jugular - Ben Smith - Politico.com

I don’t have a big problem with the GOP attempting to raise big money to elect Republicans to the Alabama Legislature in 2010, but I agree with Joe Turnham (head of the Alabama Democratic Party)…

Turnham also questions why Riley and his party are making so much noise about defeating Democrats two weeks before the start of a legislative session. In Turnham’s view, stirring up partisan rancor is not the way to have a successful session.

“The timing is awful,” he said.

This kind of big campaign being announced this close to the session cannot make for good bipartisanship (which didn’t have much chance of happening anyway).

montgomeryadvertiser.com :: State GOP aims to claim majority party status in 2010