Weekend Update - Bad Ideas Edition

(We must start this off this week with some not-so-good news.  Our man Keith Olbermann has once again become unemployed.  This time Current TV, and it's owner-operators former Vice President Al Gore and Joel Hyatt abruptly fired his maverick ass.  Keith hadn't been too happy with the Current staff who worked with his program.  Apparently there were many mistakes, miscues, and faulty set operations.  And apparently Gore and Hyatt weren't too happy with our man's attendance, and knowing Keith, probably his attitude in general. At any rate, it ended badly.  We hope Keith will be back soon, somewhere.  Until then he will be sorely missed by Progressives, and his absence will be greatly appreciated by Conservatives.  But we sadly digress ...)

Tattoos Can Be a Bad Idea

• Have you heard anything about a political movement called "Americans Elect?"  NYT's op-ed columnist Gail Collins says Americans Elect is " a new-generation political movement that aims to rise above the petty forces of partisan bickering and choose a presidential candidate, along with a running mate from a different party, at an online convention in June."  Ms. Collins thinks it's all a terrible idea.  Here's "Time to Elect the Worst Idea."
• Apparently, and unfortunately, the media storm concerning on-air remarks by Big Fat Drug Addict Rush Limbaugh has died down to a dull roar, and El Rushit himself says he's "energized" by the whole experience.  At least, and hopefully, he'll maybe think twice before he starts calling politically active college students "sluts."  Then again, probably not.
• Mark Morford says of Rick Santorum:  "Rick is about as much of a threat to the attuned way of life as flea is to a pack of wolves. You only worry about him the way you worry about an errant wart on your elbow, the one you only notice when you lean in to watch "True Blood" on your laptop and you go, "Oh right, I need to get that dry little nub excised, pronto," and then you go back to enjoying all the other good things in life -- which, when compared to Rick Santorum, is pretty much everything."  He then continues to list the rest of 10 Things You Need Not Worry About.
• Spending your hard earned money on lottery tickets is a really bad idea.  This one is called Mega Millions, and the odds of winning are horrible.  Unless you win, that is.  Three lucky ticket holders in Maryland, Illinois and Kansas will share a $656 million prize, the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.  If you're counting, that's 218.7 million a piece.  Something like that would put you in the 1%er group and might make you vote Republican.  I think I'd almost rather stay poor and Liberal.  (I said almost)
• Of course it's always a bad idea to vote Republican, but have you ever wondered why so many of your Conservative friends (you have Conservative friends, don't you?) vote directly against their own self interests?  We've noted that very fact right here many times over the years, and we still haven't figured out an answer.  Well here's a treat:  Poet Phil Rockstroh of Consortium News says he encounters many such confused souls in his native South, and it's a really good read.  "Nature of Self-Defeating Convictions."