...while wondering what ever happened to Mike Krukow

We're so concerned with the separation of church and state in all things government that a judge can be removed for simply displaying the Ten Commandments in his courthouse, yet all hell (no pun intended) breaks loose at the alleged desecration of the Koran. Korans in the possession of prisoners, mind you. Now, I respect the beliefs of others, no matter how divergent from my own and I try to see and appreciate the Christian aspects within all faiths, but I can't help but wonder if there would be nearly this much fuss if the book burned, torn and urinated on were the Bible...You go Shaq. The Big Benevolent offered to pay for the funeral expenses of the recently-departed George Mikan. ESPN and other outlets had recently featured Mikan's fight with kidney failure and other ailments arising from his diabetes, struggles made worse by the NBA's failure to provide pension benefits for players who retired prior to 1965 -- in short, the sickest, poorest least-paid in their time. It's good to see one of the benefactors of those pioneers pay back...Isn't it just amazing how many people "knew all along" who Deep Throat was?. They also know where Jimmy Hoffa is, who took the Lindberg kid and where all the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction are...Speaking of Iraq, if Saddam Hussein was an absolute dictator during his reign over the country -- his word was literally the law, how can he be tried by that country for his actions while in power? Aren't all of his actions, by definition, legal, regardless of how horrific?...The city of Dallas missed out on a great opportunity in defeating its Strong Mayor proposition last month. Now the city will once again be relegated to spinning its wheels while holding no single individual accountable. Where the proposition failed is in its marriage of message to messenger. Had the legislation been worded so as to take effect at the end of the current mayor's administration, it very well may have passed...If you dug Yoda's smackdown in the last Star Wars movie, you'll love Revenge of the Sith. I never knew R2 had it in him...Oddball stat of the week: the nation's highest state sales tax is 10%. In Arkansas. So why is it in the condition it is in?...Is anyone shocked that the Expos are in first place? There was no way this wasn't going to happen. Then again, my Rangers are in first place too, so it's not like it has to last...Former Scattershot target Gene Garber spotted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he serves as Chairman of the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board (thanks to new but loyal reader Jim)...Idiot of the week goes to David Matthew-Anthony Demeres (why do these guys always have so many names), who called in a bomb threat to The Palace at Auburn Hills about four hours before tipoff of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- from his home phone. He was in jail by halftime...Of course a case could be made for Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert who, when asked about the wisdom of his hiring a rookie head coach, replied, "I think potential, passion and talent are more important than experience". Yeah, who wants Phil Jackson, Flip Saunders or Larry Brown. Oh, that's right: he does have Larry Brown...So nobody saw the potential problems of giving convicted sex offenders Viagra, on the taxpayers' dime?...Speaking of taxpayers, why do my married siblings, when filing jointly with their spouses, pay less in taxes than me? Maybe I should sue the IRS for discriminating against me based upon my unsuitability for marriage!...Until next time, paz.