Hits and Misses
HIT: Anyone who is steeped in Beatles lore is aware of the elaborate urban legend that spread across America in 1969 that Paul McCartney had died in a car accident three years before and had been replaced by a body double, with clues scattered on album sleeves and in songs. Well, the people who promulgate online conspiracy theories – we’re talking about the same folks who have peddled convoluted tales that John F. Kennedy Jr. is still alive and a supporter of Donald Trump – have borrowed a note from the “Paul is Dead” saga by claiming that Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman was replaced by a body double during his stay at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of clinical depression. Of course, left unsaid is how exactly you would find a body double for Fetterman, who stands at almost 7 feet tall. Fetterman himself amusingly spoofed this slice of fringe-produced insanity in an online video accompanied by the 1981 hit “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. After his hospitalization and health travails, it’s encouraging to see that Fetterman’s sense of humor – and social-media savvy – have returned.
HIT: High school seniors in California, Illinois, Texas and a few other states are required to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form before they graduate. Being required to fill out a form is typically a task no one relishes, but a FAFSA form would show if a student is eligible for federal assistance to help pay for college or some other sort of training. State Sen. Scott Martin, a Lancaster Republican, believes students in the commonwealth could be missing out on aid and wants filling out the form to be mandatory unless a parent or guardian allows a student to opt out. Martin said in a legislative memo that “students are missing opportunities for higher education because they are unaware of financial assistance and resources that might be available to them.” According to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, the proposed legislation has the support of Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. With billions of student aid going unclaimed every year, taking the time to fill out a form is a small price to pay.
MISS: The drug xylazine is approved for use in large animals like horses as a pain-killer and sedative. It is most definitely not meant for human use. But it has started to turn up in this area, mixed with opioids sold illegally, and it has resulted in overdoses. It can knock users out for hours, but the overdose-reversal medication naloxone does not work with it, and xylazine’s side effects include skin ulcers and rotting flesh. Simply put, it is absolutely nothing to be trifled with, and it’s making the fight against the opioid epidemic even tougher. Ann Milgram, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, explained, “Xylazine is making the deadliest drug our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier.” In Pennsylvania, the Shapiro administration has added xylazine to the list of Schedule III drugs. State Rep. Danilo Burgos, a Philadelphia Democrat, pointed out, “People need to be aware that basically they’re being sold trash. This is not just giving you a temporary high, it’s destroying your body.”