Reply #11: What the hell is going on?

[T_i_B]

Good question. Here is a relevant BBC article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3127409.stm

The challenge to Governor Gray Davis is becoming too silly - even for some Californians. The state has long been the butt of jokes that too much sun - or cosmetic surgery or wealth - has addled the brains of its residents.

Each time politicians try to remind a broader public that at stake with the possible recall of the governor is the fate of a key state - California in itself is the world's fifth-largest economy - another event puts the issue right back in the realm of late-night TV comics.

All this is providing plenty of entertainment for the rest of the country, but is just too much for some Californians.

Steve Lopez, writing in the Los Angeles Times, said Larry Flynt's candidacy could be useful "just in case there was anybody left in the nation who didn't think Californians should be burned at the stake".