The QT: Cable news' George Zimmerman obsession, Vladimir Putin's fugitive-hunting skills, and more
A veteran journalist, tongue firmly in cheek, riffs on the latest headlines

News Headline: "George Zimmerman trial completely dominating cable news"
Wait. As any cable TV news director will tell you, a great deal of thought goes into the coverage of the day's — oh, look at that bright shiny object!
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News Headline: "House Republicans refuse to budge on immigration bill"
News Headline: "On July 4, Statue of Liberty to finally reopen"
As we await the cost estimates for turning it 180 degrees on its foundation.
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News Headline: "Study shows veterans must navigate hundreds of forms, more than a dozen agencies for services"
Let's cut President Obama some slack here, shall we?
He's had barely five years to straighten this out.
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We Have Seen the Present, and It Does Not Work:
A London couple was informed it could not use the phrase "in sickness and in health" in a civil marriage ceremony, as the phrase is from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
The couple was allowed to use "in sickness and when we are well."
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News Headline: "Afghan-Pakistani ties in a tailspin, with botched diplomacy blamed"
K.R., a Baltimore reader, wants to know if the ties that are in a tailspin are just the tip of the iceberg coming home to roost.
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Rudy Giuliani regarding President Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and fugitive Edward Snowden:
"Who would you give greater odds would catch a fugitive, a former KGB agent or a former community organizer?"
Good question. Maybe Osama bin Laden could add his thoughts, too.
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News Headline: "Zimmerman trial: Which is worse, N-word or cracker?"
A clue. Which one don't we print?
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Modern Education + the Criminal Mind =
Police arresting a New York City man on suspicion of bank robbery found a to-do list in the man's pocket with the words "rob bank."
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Grammar R Us Seminar on the English Language:
M.C., a Chicago reader, wants you to know that there are nearly 200,000 Google hits for "4th of July celabration."
In any event, Happy Independance Day!
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Write to QT at zaysmith.qt@gmail.com
QT appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Zay N. Smith is a Chicago writer. Before starting the QT column he worked at the Chicago Sun-Times as a reporter, foreign correspondent and writer of major features. He has also worked as a bartender, having played a key role in the 1978 Mirage Tavern investigation, in which the newspaper operated an undercover bar to document the breaking of many laws by many officials.
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