Talking about the Sun, showing my hand

How is it that we've always got a half loaf of moldy bread around here? Could have something to do with me not making a habit of grilled cheese and cinnamon and sugar toast. What shame.

Read an article from Peter Worthington in yesterday's Toronto Sun about the debt ceiling crisis business in the states. His thesis seems to be (and I almost HAVE to be misinterpreting this, because it seems so stupid to me) that raising the debt ceiling is the correct thing to do, cutting services is the correct thing to do, raising taxes would be a big mistake, because AS WE ALL KNOW any revenue generated from taxes, those spendocrats will put into more of those services they've promised to cut. It's not their fault really, they've just got the spending disease.

So, yeah, now I know I can't take anything that guy says seriously and can probably skip his articles. Once again, I've increased my Toronto Sun reading efficiency. (I already tend to skip the Sue-Ann Levy articles, where after 20 takes the best head shot they could come up with still has her looking like the Wicked Witch of the West.)

So long as I'm talking about the Sun, there's another bit of media talk stuff I can mention. Have you heard about them leaving the one self regulatory journalism council? For whatever reason, this point hasn't been mentioned so far as I've read as to why it's a good idea for everyone to be a part of these onerous councils: it's these councils that serve as the necessary go between that halts the need for federal regulation.

You're hearing about the proposals for federal regulation of media in the wake of the News of the World phone hacking scandals? Whenever such threats are made, the compromise is for self regulatory bodies to be formed. This is the exact same reason the Comics Code Authority was formed back in the day- comics became self policing rather than get told what to do by the government.

Whether the Comics Code went to far because of skittishness is another matter- when there was a story to tell that couldn't be fit within the parameters of the Comics Code (The issue of Amazing Spider-Man that dealt with Harry Osborn's drug problem) the comic was published sans seal of approval. And they were right to do so!

The Code was formed to keep the concerned parents and American government off their backs, but comics had long since fallen off those groups radar. The Comics Code was no longer needed, and has been largely forgotten these days.

In which case, it seems odd for the Toronto Sun to snub the self regulation right at the moment of greatest possible controversy, when even without that move, federal regulation is being considered.

I want to point out that even though the Comics Code has largely been dropped (Archie still uses it last time I checked) comics are still a self regulating body: most books have a rating system on the cover (Marvel has: All Ages, PG, MATURE READERS while DC pretty much just has All Ages and the rest are rating less, but assumed to be higher of course <- but I could be mistaken about the DC ones, I'm mostly just guessing here. I'd have to go all the way DOWNSTAIRS to grab a DC book for reference!)

So in this vein, the Toronto Sun could satisfy concerned parties by setting up a self regulating body for themselves. Because I really doubt those right wing guys at the Sun would want any government regulation. Not that they've probably recognized that's what's at stake here.

Of course they'll be safe and fly under the radar so long as they keep writing that which serves the conservative narrative. So I guess they'll be fine for a good long while.

In other news: Just ran up and down stairs looking for my teeth brushing kit, and my feet were making the oddest squeaking noises against the ground. Possibly we have a mouse that has the best timed/most coincidental sqeaks ever.