"Joe the Plumber Reporter" Thinks Reporters Should Be Barred from Covering War

One of the "changes" I've waited a long time to see in this country, is a raising of the bar intellectually, in media and in politics. We've gotten so dumbed down, that listening to a politician, or certain news programing can be brain numbing.

But I may have to keep waiting. The 2008 Presidential race birthed a whole lot of stupid. And one of the dumbest personalities to arise from it was "Joe the Plumber." Samuel "Joe" Wurzelbacher--who it was later learned is not an actual plumber--became an inexplicable conservative folk hero by asking a pointed question of Barack Obama on the campaign trail. Oh, and it was later learned that his question was composed of half-truths and inaccuracies.

Since then, "Joe" has been reported to be entering into all kinds of unlikely vocations, most recently, war correspondent. Oy. And he says that war correspondents should be banned. Or, uh, something. None of his fans will get the irony of that, though. They love Joe, just like they love Sarah Palin and good ol' Gee Dubya. That is one freakin' low bar they're setting.

Something Happened in Gaza

Photo from source, TIME

I know it's an important story, but darned if I know enough to write intelligently about it. So, I'll just shut up and get right to the story excerpt. Make of it what you will.

[Excerpt]

Hamas Beats Israel's Gaza Siege

It took explosives to do what diplomacy couldn't: allow Palestinians to go on a shopping spree. The siege of Gaza, imposed by Israel and the international community after Hamas seized control of the Palestinian territory last July, ended abruptly before dawn on Wednesday when militants blew as many as 15 holes in the border wall separating the territory from Egypt. In the hours that followed, over 350,000 Palestinians swarmed across the frontier, nearly one fifth of Gaza's entire population. . .

Read more at: TIME