In the Loop: The lame ducks fly far

Finally, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) is said to be leading a large codel — we’re hearing as many as 10 members — on a 10-day jaunt to South Sudan and other countries in Africa. There may be stops in Kenya, Morocco and Spain as well.

At least it wasn’t the Weathermen

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Conspiracy theorists hardly need provocation to imagine all manner of apocalyptic catastrophes necessitating tinfoil hats and other gear. But they recently got a bit of red meat to feed their fears.

As our pals at the Capital Weather Gang reported, a procurement notice by the National Weather Service seeking 46,000 rounds of ammunition for semiautomatic pistols stirred up the doomsday crowd.

What would a bunch of weather geeks want with guns? Some people had their theories.

“The federal government is clearly gearing up for the likelihood of civil unrest on a scale that could outstrip what we’ve already seen in countries across Europe,” claimed a writer on Infowars.com (the site’s tag line: “BECAUSE THERE IS A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND”).

Turns out there was just a little “clerical error,” and the ammo was actually destined for the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, a NOAA spokesman says. “Ammunition is standard issue for many law enforcement agencies, and it will be used by 63 NOAA enforcement personnel in their firearms qualifications and training,” he says.

The guns, apparently, are needed to protect Flipper and his friends. “NOAA officers and agents enforce the nation’s ocean and fishing laws to ensure a level playing field for fishermen and to protect marine species like whales, dolphins and turtles,” the spokesman says.

Up on the woof

Good news for those who think the presidential campaign couldn’t get weirder — or drearier.

Devo , the ’70s punk rock/new wave band whose biggest hit was “Whip It,” is coming out with a new song to accompany a mobile game called: “The Crate Escape: Seamus Unleashed.”

It is, as you may have guessed, a satire of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s legendary family vacation trip to Canada with the family dog in a crate strapped on the roof.

The new single, written by founding member Gerald Casale, is called “Don’t Roof Rack Me, Bro! (Remember Seamus).” To hear a snippet, visit bit.ly/seamussong

Launch date for the song and the game is Aug. 26, according to a publicity blurb, which is National Dog Day and the day before the Republican National Convention. The game is being launched as an app on iTunes.

Goofy as all this is, it could be electorally of note. Devo, fans may recall, is from the epicenter of the “battleground” — Kent and Akron, Ohio. Not as important as Canton, but still significant.

Note to file: Send e-mail alert to Gail Collins at the New York Times.

With Emily Heil

The blog: washingtonpost.com/
intheloop. Twitter: @InTheLoopWP