Uncle Sal's Morning Paper (Episode 23)

"Would you look at this?" Uncle Sal said from behind the newspaper. "According to Gerry Morten of the Times, the president's approval ratings are lower than they've been for any president since prohibition. This guy is officially worse than the guy that took booze away from the country. At this point, I'm not sure his own mother approves of him."

Alice sipped her coffee and said, "That's not exactly news."

Uncle Sal continued like she hadn't spoken. "No one domestically approves of him. I'd bet dollars to donuts no one overseas approves of him. Education figures are horrible, the budget's a wreck."

Alice took a bite of her cheese danish and said, "Sal, do you really need Gerry Morten to tell you that the president is doing a poor job? And really, if all you're going to do is read the paper, why'd you invite me to breakfast?"

Uncle Sal lay the paper flat on the table and looked at Alice. "I hadn't even gotten to the most interesting part. If you'd just listen, you might learn something here. You see, at this point, Morten gives a little history lesson.He talks about presidents in other countries who have been overthrown when their approval ratings are so low. In one country after another, when people are unhappy with their leader, they put him out on his backside."

Alice held her cheese danish and stared blankly across the table at Uncle Sal.

"That's your trouble. You never want to analyze things. Don't you see what he's saying here? Morten fears a coup."

This episode featured:
Humberto Burris as Uncle Sal
Anita Plummer as Alice
and
Jellybean Merengue as the newspaper

Tune in next week when Uncle Sal says, "She walked up to me with gunpowder breath."

[16 January 2008]