I guess it'll be microwave hot dogs for now, lol!

Now before anyone screams "First Amendment", here's more info:

To be fair, that's not at all what Patterson, a term-limited Republican from Canton, a Wayne County suburb, intended. He is not an ignoramus; he has a law degree, a successful career and has been in the Legislature for a decade.

"I mainly just wanted to stimulate discussion," he told me. "I didn't think the bill would be likely to pass, but I thought I'd put it out there and if there was any support from your profession, we'd move forward ... Heck, I thought it might be helpful to legitimate journalists."

Indeed, he made some valid points. "There are fewer legitimate reporters who cover the Legislature all the time. I see stuff being written by people I never heard of, and I don't know whether they have any credentials.

"You have bloggers and editorial writers who write about what we are doing who never come up here and have no idea what's going on. If I need a plumber, I want one who has credentials and who is licensed by the state." So, he reasoned, why not reporters?

His bill would set up a governor-appointed board to determine who could be a Michigan Registered Reporter. According to his specifications, successful candidates would have to show that they had a journalism degree, three years of experience or other qualifications, including letters from already sanctioned reporters.

It is also important to note that the senator is not proposing preventing anyone who is not a "Michigan Registered Reporter" from writing or broadcasting the news. "I just thought it might be helpful in terms of helping figure out whose reporting you can trust."

That's a worthy goal. The main problem, however, is that there is a strong risk that the registration process is going to be politicized, no matter what steps you take to prevent it.

Conservatives are going to go after some folks; liberals will go after others. There will be controversy over the difference between journalists and entertainers. (What, pray tell, is Glenn Beck?) And having been among stubborn, cantankerous reporters most of my life, I can tell you that virtually no legitimate journalist is going to want to be a state-sanctioned "registered reporter."

However, you could expect plenty of lobbyists for special interests and public relations types to apply for the designation. Whether intentionally or not, Patterson did one thing right. His bill provides that registered reporters' licenses would need to be renewed every year ... on April Fool's Day.

But he also has one criteria that would eliminate virtually any real journalist from serious consideration. His bill says "in order to qualify, an applicant shall ... be of good moral character."

The beans were echt State of Maine soldier beans, soaked overnight then parboiled, then baked with a mix of molasses, brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, onion, pepper, and a big slab of real salt pork.

So, I had reheated baked beans and crusty bread for breakfast today and it was fabulous.

And then I went fishing.