Eight Feet Deep

A Kia Optima is struck by a gigantic powder puff.

Kia, South Korea’s second largest automobile manufacturer, is building its first American plant. I am sure that is good news for West Point, Ga., the site of the new assembly plant. But I am not so sure what that means for the rest of us.

I’ve driven a Kia before. It was kind of tight, as in a tight fit. They may be perfectly sound automobiles. Kias may be the reincarnation of white bread. But the name bothers me. Kia. In the military KIA is an acroynm for killed in action. I never felt attracted to an automobile that reminded me of violent death. I guess I’m just funny that way.

Of course, if you can get past Kia there are always the plethora of Kia models with spiffy names like the Optima or the Rio. It seems like automobile manufacturers just grab any old name out of the air these days to name a new model. Really weird stuff like the Depletionairre, or the Snuffster, or the Lucifera, or the Loser. Hey Loser! What ya drivin’? I’m driving a Loser.

If you are what you drive, then I don’t think I am quite ready to connect with a new Kia.

My morning walk bore a little more excitement than usual. Just awhile ago I was walking west on McFaddin Avenue and saw the police blocking off a street ahead. By the time I had walked up to the scene, the cops had already left. Neighbors there said a 17-year-old boy was found shot to death on the sidewalk around 5:30 a.m.

The lady who discovered the body said the victim, identified as being either Hispanic or Asian, may have been dumped out at the location about two hours before. Another neighbor said the victim’s face “was real messed up” and he initially thought the young man may have been beaten. But police said he had been shot.

That area of Beaumont, Texas, is all part of the Old Town area in which I live. Just down the street is the historic McFaddin-Ward mansion. This particular section of Old Town could be described as a “working-class” neighborhood. Still it’s normally pretty quiet.

Like I told the dude before leaving: “It’s a hell of a way to start a Monday.”

This is the first day of Sunshine Week. Here is a simple explanation of Sunshine Week from the Sunshine Week Web site:

“During Sunshine Week, participating daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, online sites, and radio and television broadcasters run editorials, op-ed columns, editorial cartoons, public forums, and news and feature stories that drive public discussion about why open government is important to everyone, not just to journalists.”

Working over the past two decades as a journalist, I saw just how difficult it is to obtain access to information that belongs to the public. This difficulty was not just at the federal government level — which has become increasingly sunshine free — but also at the level of small-town cops, city officials and state bureaucrats. The situation has become dire with the present batch of folks running the federal government. To paraphrase Still Bill Withers: “There ain’t no sunshine … “

When I got indignant over some government official not wanting to share that information that was legally the public’s, I sometimes thought that some of the pointy-headed imbeciles I dealt with had the very erroneous position that the information somehow belonged to them. It belonged to the police department. It belonged to Officer Krupke. It belonged to the city council. What a load of wrong-thinking crap!

No, no and more no. It also doesn’t belong to the journalist. It doesn’t belong to The New York Times. It doesn’t belong to Donald Trump either. Public information belongs to the public. And we should demand our rightful access to that information that is for the public’s consumption.

Let the sun shine in, brothers and sisters! Open up those government files and let it shine on in.

Once in awhile I tumble out of the doldrums. It’s more like stumble actually. And I’m not sure the doldrums is what I stumble or tumble out of but that’s better than ending the sentence with a preposition. And it is quite unlike Richard A. Loeb — of Leopold and Loeb infamy — who ended a sentence with a proposition. Be that as it may I discovered an amusing blog that I have recently linked to my blogroll.

I knew I was hooked on reading Thought Alarm when I read the headline:

“Vivi may have approved port deal without president’s knowledge”

That’s thinking outside the shipping container.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton looks up while someone looks on for some reason.
Gale Norton announced her resignation as Secretary of the Interior today. In her letter to President George Bush, Norton said:

“With your support and leadership, your team at Interior has accomplished great work in the face of hurricanes, record-setting wildfires and droughts, acrimonious litigation, and expanded post 9-11 security responsibilities.”

All of which was written with a straight face I’m sure.

It is hard to list all the accomplishments of Norton, no doubt the most babeilicious Interior Secretary. Really, it’s hard to list all the accomplishments. Or any for that matter.

Perhaps Norton will be best known for what she didn’t do but for what someone else said. Yes, I’m talking about that now infamous quote from brainy Jessica Simpson upon being introduced to Norton at a White House reception:

“You’ve done a nice job decorating the White House.”

I leave you with this interesting shot of Jessica Simpson. It is for gratuitous purposes I assure you.