I ask for advice about what to say on the radio about Third World poverty. Nothing. I mention the USA soccer team and the emails flood in. Well, one did, from Radley Balko, whose email ends with @cato.org, which makes him something to do with the Cato Institute, which makes him someone with a back to be scratched.
Okay then. I said that our media are saying that the USA is ignoring the World Cup. Not so, says Bradley Balko. The USA’s media are ignoring the World Cup. But, says, Radley Balko, the USA’s people are paying it some definite attention.
I was at a bar in Arlington, VA this morning for the game. 2:30am on a Monday morning. Absolutely packed with soccer fans. As was the other bar up the street that stayed open for the game. This, and they weren’t even serving beer.
God bless Brad “John Malkovich” Friedel.
Radley Balko does a blog called The Agitator where he picks up on the rumours that the Portuguese tried to get the South Koreans to agree to a draw. I just heard from our TV that this rumour is all over our newspapers too. He also has pictures reinforcing the Malkovich/Friedel similarity. And he has things about civil liberties violations in the wake of 9/11, the crazinesses of the war on drugs, and such like. If you like personal-stroke-political-stroke-humorous, have a look at it.
