What's Offending Us?

1. The New Yorker. What's more offensive, this magazine cover, or the fact that a candidate who has put himself and his family through an 18-month meat grinder of a presidential campaign still has to prove he loves his country, or that the media treats the manufactured patriotism debate as a real story?

The cover, definitely.

2. Bud Light. How dare those Beligian 'ferriners take over the King of Beers. Next thing you know they'll start churning out a weak-tasting mass-produced barely recognizable facsimile of good beer.

3. Unsightly clusters of outdoor smokers. From The Des Moines Register:

Government efforts to push smokers out of public places have some Des Moines officials worried about the fallout from clusters of puffers on sidewalks and in parking lots.

"It's going to force them out in areas where they're more visible," Des Moines City Manager Rick Clark said.

 Streets and sidewalks are not included in the bans, and City Councilwoman Christine Hensley said she is concerned the result could pose an image problem.

"It's one of those issues we'll have to deal with," Hensley said. "Every time you make a decision on smoking, it pushes it someplace else."

Clark said there are no plans to go after sidewalk smokers, but city officials will study the entire smoking issue.

People, on sidewalks? Horrors. They should be rounded up and bused to the nearest casino.