The Good: Pundits were all aflutter when the Pentagon announced that it planned to plant phony stories in other countries’ media. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld denied that lies are a part of the Pentagon’s tactics but, in view of past experience, most people knew he was lying.
The Bad: The real surprise is that someone at the Pentagon publically announced, as a news item, what has been an open secret for decades: our government constantly attempts to manipulate the press, both foreign and US, by shading facts, omitting certain truths, and telling outright lies.
The Ugly: Veteran journalists and political analysts getting mad, but not pointing out the truth about the pervasiveness of official lying.
Time To Get A Clue
The Good: Former mayor — and unsuccessful gubernatorial and senatorial candidate — Richard Vinroot quashed rumors by saying he will not run for a seat on the County Commission.
The Bad: He may run again for governor in 2004.
The Ugly: The sight of a politician who simply will not take a hint.
More Hoops Uproar
The Good: Super-rich Charlottean Bruton Smith said he wants to buy the Orlando Magic and move them to Charlotte.
The Bad: Further muddies the waters regarding the future of pro hoops in the city.
The Ugly: Bruton Smith.
The Winter Olympics
The Good: Sarah Hughes’ jump from fourth to first place in women’s figure skating is the kind of thing the Games are supposed to be all about; hair-raising rides on the skeleton returned to the Olympics; fewer soap-opera “profiles” in NBC’s coverage.
The Bad: Bob Costas was still the host.
The Ugly: Russian officials, suffering from Utah’s scanty vodka supply, said their country’s poor showing was the fault of the judges; women in the crowd wearing fake “soul patches” in honor of speed skater Apollo Ohno.
Too Little, Too Late
The Good: US Senator Jesse Helms (R-Paleolithic Era) said he was ashamed that he hadn’t done more to combat AIDS during his career.
The Bad: Helms wasn’t just passive about AIDS; he actively combated any attempts to fund AIDS research, blaming the disease on gay men’s “disgusting behavior.”
The Ugly: He gets away with this kind of hogwash.
St. Peter’s Famed Fresco Collapses
The Good: Judging from public reaction, Charlotteans do care about art. Or maybe it’s just churches.
The Bad: An irreplaceable work of art, in an ancient medium, is gone forever.
The Ugly: Figuring out who’s to blame.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2002.
