Six degrees of Sarah Palin

The world just keeps getting smaller and smaller.

But I suppose it's more like two degrees, actually. I've learned that GOP hopeful Sarah Palin just so happens to be the friend of a friend.

Great personal insight on the VP candidate, and doesn't even have to resort to busybody gossip mongering. (So you know he doesn't write for US Weekly!)

*Update: My wife, who frequently acted in campaign and industrial commercial spots for Dave in Alaska, recently recalled accompanying him to the picturesque Palin home on the lake in Wasilla back in 2002. Wifey reports that then-Mayor Palin was "extremely gracious and seemed genuinely interested in the particulars of my life." After which the Mayor returned to fishing out back with her kids.

Incidentally, Dave gave me a copy of his book just before I deployed, and it is an excellent read.

Death Tolls

Headline:

Nearly 125 Shot Dead In Chicago Over Summer
Total Is About Double The Death Toll In Iraq

Story:CHICAGO (CBS) ― An estimated 123 people were shot and killed over the summer. That's nearly double the number of soldiers killed in Iraq over the same time period.

In May, cbs2chicago.com began tracking city shootings and posting them on Google maps. Information compiled from our reporters, wire service reports and the Chicago Police Major Incidents log indicated that 123 people were shot and killed throughout the city between the start of Memorial Day weekend on May 26, and the end of Labor Day on Sept. 1.

(Via Insta.)