Another reminder why you need to double-check your facts when cruising the Internet.

Loren Steffy used a bad word today. I just found it amusing.

I wonder what other naughty words the Chron would allow to appear on its site? I guess the only way to know for sure would be to subtly include increasingly raunchy obscenities in otherwise well-thought-out comments on Chron blogs.

Hypothetically, of course.

Very clever.

A truth they couldn’t deny…

Fox is reporting that Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been selected as the new House Majority Leader.

Huh, huh…Boehner…huh huh huh.

Is this the face of America’s next president?

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I’ve taken a few days to rest after Friday’s successful LST Bayou City Barblogging Tour event in Webster, and now it’s time to plan the next one. Let’s fire up the GeoBeer Machine and see where we’ve been so far:

The February tour stop is tentatively scheduled for Friday, February 24, and it looks to me like we need to head up to the northwest side. I’m thinking somewhere outside the Beltway, between 290 and 45. But where?

That’s where y’all come in. Leave your suggestions for a good meeting spot in the comments. Requirements include beer and chairs. Wi-Fi and pinball would be nice, but they’re not dealbreakers. Fire away!

Imagine you are the family of someone killed or seriously wounded in Iraq, but you do not think President Bush is the focus of evil in the world today. Then you see this in the Washington Post.

According to Editor and Publisher the Joint Chiefs of Staff felt strongly enough about the item to write a letter (pdf) to the Post.

The letter, written on Tuesday, charges that the six military leaders "believe you and Mr. Toles have done a disservice to your readers and your paper’s reputation by using such a callous depiction of those who have volunteered to defend this nation, and as a result, have suffered traumatic and life-altering wounds. … As the Joint Chiefs, it is rare that we all put our hand to one letter, but we cannot let this reprehensible cartoon go unanswered."

Naturally, those at the Post were unfazed.

[Editorial Page Editor Fred] Hiatt said, "While I certainly can understand the strong feelings, I took it to be a cartoon about the state of the Army and not one intended to demean wounded soldiers." He added that he doesn’t "censor Tom."

Talking to Kurtz, [cartoonist] Toles cited recent remarks by Rumsfeld about "battle-hardened" troops and "what came soon to mind was the catastrophic level of injuries the Army and members of the armed services have sustained . . . I thought my portrayal of it was a fair depiction of the reality of the situation. I certainly never intended it to be in any way a personal attack on, or a derogatory comment on, the service or sacrifice of American soldiers." As for the Joint Chiefs’ letter, he said: "I think it’s a little bit unfair in their reading of the cartoon to imply that is what it’s about."

Would the Post’s editorial page look any different if Cindy Sheehan were in charge?

From the Editors of the Dallas Morning News, today’s edition:

If  Richardson voters like state legislators with independence and backbone, Fred Hill deserves their vote in the March 7 GOP primary.

Here is the most  recent reason for our support of Mr. Hill: The nine-term member of the Texas  House single-handedly saved cities and counties from fiscal calamity last  year.

When Gov. Rick Perry and GOP House Speaker Tom Craddick  pushed the Legislature to sharply limit local property appraisal increases, Mr. Hill responded with powerful common-sense arguments, such as how the vote would cripple communities’ ability to pay for services like health care and roads. He was so convincing that the House, in a rare move, voted down the governor and speaker.

This stand was not a comfortable one for a Republican, but Mr. Hill, a 66-year-old owner of a paper products business, is not shy about being out there alone.

Not that we always agree with him. For instance, he still resists the idea of the House recording its votes, even though 189 organizations and individuals around Texas support the change.

But the House needs more people like Mr. Hill who study issues deeply and reach their own conclusions.

Mr. Hill’s opponent, David Stephenson, is a 45-year-old sales manager for a pharmacy company who says  he wants to make a difference in Austin. Mr. Stephenson stresses that he is tired of problems not getting solved, but he offers too few answers for voters to take his candidacy seriously.

Fred Hill is not only prepared, he’s shown he can lead. He’s served voters well in Austin.