Thousands of people were convicted of practicing witchcraft in Scotland in a hunt that spanned nearly two centuries — and the majority of those sentenced to death and executed were women. Many were also tortured.
Now, a bill proposed in the Scottish parliament is trying to set the record straight, said Natalie Don, a Scottish lawmaker who introduced the proposal. It could allow for posthumous pardons to thousands of women who faced convictions hundreds of years ago.
On first sight, this seems like a weird issue to spend much time on. After all, those poor women were still tortured and executed... all for nothing, and nothing can reduce or recompence that pain and loss for their families. So why bother?
The story can be filed under "oddity," in terms of news values, but it's refreshing to read something that diverts me from January 6 and from the pandemic and from gun violence and from war in Ukraine -- all involving mostly bad news.
I suppose the proposed bill is about justice and making some sort of statement about women being discriminated against... and there are still people who believe deeply in witches. It's harmless, as far as I can tell, and the distraction is worth it for many readers.
Another national story was about President Biden proposing that the federal gas task of about 18 cents per gallon be suspended for three months. Simple math points out that even if distributors deducted every one of those cents per gallon, the savings amounts to 3.6 percent on the current average per gallon price of $4.995.
Taken together, all those tax savings amount to a sizeable sum, but for any one driver? Not so much. But the government is looking frantically for almost anything that can be labelled "good news" for consumers.
Increased production and reduction of state gas taxes might eventually produce nearly $1 per gallon in savings, but the effect would take months to become clear.
The whole idea just doesn't seem like the game changer that can lead to more positive messages from Democrats about why they should be retained as elected officials. It's basically a distraction.
A third distraction is the brouhaha over a TV crew being inside a government building after hours, complete with a short time under arrest and the rather quick release of those involved. A puppet was involved. Radical wacko Jim Jordan of Ohio jumped on this tidbit and proclaimed Democratic hypocrisy, asking how this was any different from the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. Give me a break.
There is no "there" there, as the saying goes, but some media outlets are having a fine time with the story.
All three of these distracting news reports will soon fade away, surpassed by new oddities and misunderstandings and unapproved proposals.
But the news can't be all crucial decisions and actions and policies. I will continue to scan for such coverage. I just need to remind myself that these sorts of reports don't need to take up much space in my brain.
I need some room for new revelations from the January 6 Committee hearing today. Great story telling.
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