The Hot Seat A Weekly Look At People And Issues In The News

Another Democrat in the Hall of Shame

We’re not sending a Christmas card to Colorado Rep. Pat Schroeder this year. Or any of the other 20 or so Democrats who have decided to turn tail and run from the Republican revolution. Good riddance. It’s easy to advocate and push your cause when your team has the numbers. But those days are gone for now and it’s disgusting to see these Democrats duck the heat. They could take a lesson from Bob Dole. He was the underdog in the Senate for 198 years and he never quit.

Ees eet snowink in Berlin?

Code-name Stargate. They were psychic spies hired by the United States to the tune of $1 million a year. Wearing turbans, they sat cross-legged in front of crystal balls and hunted Moammar Gadhafi, drug runners and other no-good-niks. Their successes were few. The real spies considered them unreliable and made jokes about them in pig Latin. Norm, an anonymous spook in charge of the program, told ABC’s “Nightline” that the pyschics had amazing perception but he had no significant results to report. “The gold nugget somehow tends to elude us,” he said. But for another million bucks, they’ll keep looking.

Spineless rats? Not.

Good news on the Hot Seat science beat. Scientists say rats with spinal cord injuries recovered some physical ability from a treatment that helps damaged nerve fibers regrow. Scientists cut more than halfway through 61 rat spinal cords, paralyzing their tiny, rear rat legs. All of the animals regained some ability. However, when the rats eventually died, lab technicians had to beat their spinal cords to death with sticks.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Photos

MEMO: The Hot Seat is an irreverent look at controversial issues in the news. The views expressed are those of the writer. Today’s Hot Seat was written by Scott Sines.