Republican Convention Gone Wild

Those who love John McCain, President Bush, and their policies, have one thing in common with the people who really, really detest all of the above -- they both arrived at Republican National Convention in freaky outfits ready to make a statement.

Day One at the RNC was muted as the nation turned its attention to Hurricane Gustav (in a way the Bush Administration failed to do when Hurricane Katrina struck).

One item that did strike me: Amy Goodman -- for whom I worked at WBAI in New York -- was arrested along with two other Democracy Now producers were arrested, and the scene outside the convention center was shockingly brutal.

Amy is one of America's great crusading journalists, and when I was a student reporter at Columbia University's School of Journalism, she indulged my circus-chasing sensibilities, and let me interview Ringling Bros. lion tamer Gunther Gabel-Williams, as he led a herd of elephants through the Lincoln Tunnel.

I slipped in elephant dung that day, but I'll always be grateful to Amy for one of my favorite experiences as a reporter. Amy chases a different sort of circus, and I deeply admire her work.

Related:

• Bizarre Images from the Republican Convention
• Bizarre Images from the Democratic Convention
• Outrageous Protests
• Weird Photo Extravaganza

Weird News Highlights

• Dead Man Sparkling: For less than $8,000, a Swiss company will turn the cremated remains of your deceased loved one into a diamond (Morbid Pleasures);
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• Even the Cats Are Complaining: Rat meat prices quadruple as inflation ravages Cambodia (Rats and Rodents);
• Coming Soon to eBay: Barack Obama's used Jeep now has pop culture cachet (Political Sideshows);
• Dracula Busted: Virginia Beach police arrest a self-proclaimed vampire with sharpened fangs wanted for sexual assault (Dumb Crime Du Jour).

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