Tarzan The Monkey Man

This fool is swinging on a rubber band and hanging by a thread of sanity.

Georgie Anne Geyer writes today in the Dallas Morning News about President Bush’s strange behavior during a recent meeting with “[f]riends of his from Texas.”

But by all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness.

Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated “I am the president!” He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of “our country’s destiny.”

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Celebrity Rehab

Look. I don't care about these celebs doing jail time. They play circus animals to the masses so, yeah, I am probably one of the few people who deserve special treatment because we spend so much time treating them like they are special. Why can't they just create a new reality show called Celebrity Rehab where instead of having jail time, they allow the world to view why they really end up in rehab in the first place.

Nicole Richie admits she's "nervous" about the possibility she may follow her friend Paris Hilton to jail.

Richie was charged with DUI in February. Police say she was under the influence of booze and an unspecified drug when they stopped her last year.

Richie told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show on KIIS-FM) in Los Angeles that she understands she has to "take responsibility" and "deal with whatever consequences" come her way.

Richie also denied a report that she'd been in rehab recently. She says the rumor started because she hadn't been seen in a few weeks. Richie says she was touring with her boyfriend Joel Madden of Good Charlotte.

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The One Big Ass They Can't Tap

The obsession slays me. It's positively mongrel-like. There is no reason on this earth that a multi-millionaire like Donald Trump should have the time or inkling to be making the rounds on the cable networks hurling insults at Rosie O'Donnell. I'm not being dense. I know it's some incantation of homophobia but if I were a white man, I would be embarrassed to give a big, loud, unkempt lesbian this much attention. What is really the issue here? The want some of that?

Donald Trump joined Bill O'Reilly last night so they could massage one another's egos over having created, as O'Reilly put it so smugly, the "monster" that became Rosie O'Donnell on "The View."

With Rosie leaving "The View," the pair of smarmeisters -- O'Donnell's most public nemeses over the past year -- chummed it up on "The O'Reilly Factor" last night. O'Reilly wondered aloud if they hadn't overplayed Rosie, and Trump alleged that O'Donnell once "ate a lot of cake" at his wedding to Marla Maples, way back before they were at each other's throats.

No word on whether it was necessary to expand the set to accommodate both of their heads.

They want her!

Ground Hog Day In The Middle East

I could have sworn that this just happened yesterday but in Iraq. Plane down. Rescuer's ambushed.

Seven NATO troops were killed when their Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, a U.S. military official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident, which killed five U.S. soldiers and two military passengers.

Initial reports suggested the helicopter was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade, the U.S. military official, who was not authorized to release the information, said on condition of anonymity. It was not clear if there were any survivors, the official said.

The official said it was a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

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Is He Trying To Incite These People?

They are asking us to leave and he is talking about staying indefinitely.

President Bush envisions a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to the one in South Korea where American forces have helped keep an uneasy peace for more than 50 years, the White House said Wednesday.

The comparison was offered as the Pentagon announced the completion of the troop buildup ordered by Bush in January. The last of about 21,500 combat troops to arrive were an Army brigade in Baghdad and a Marine unit heading into the Anbar province in western Iraq.

But then everyone else is always accused of emboldening the enemy. What a crackhead!

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Day Late, Compassion Short

Dubya's BS on Dafur was one big yawn and halfhearted lie. It's too little, too late to talk about genocide because it's been going on for years. Why talk about it after they've killed, raped and displaced everyone there is to kill, rape and displace? As with every other thing he says, it rings hollow.

If the definition of a gesture is "a slight movement to convey one's intentions," then President Bush has done just that today with Darfur.

In a pronouncement that ran but minutes, this morning Bush called for a "plan B" in the Sudan. Basically a twist of the screws to what had been considered "plan A:" intensifying pre-standing sanctions against the nation. Targeting specific companies and barring them from doing business with Western Financial institutions. Throw some further sanctions at a couple senior Sudanese officials and a rebel leader.

All and all, yes, that adds up to a gesture; a weak little motion to remind the suffering in Darfur that, yeah, somebody's over here. Somebody's taking your plight into consideration.

Long, slow consideration.

Such languid wringing of hands has been the tepid non-response to the crisis since the US labeled the killings in Darfur genocide back in 2004.

The lack of significant response is not wholly the Administration's fault. Khartoum and the government of Sudanese president Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir have strong strategic partners in China, which loves little Sudan for its oil.

Great. Another oil conflict brewing.

Mr. Woolworth's Whipped Cream

Many years ago, I remember someone telling a story about one of the jobs she had as a young person. She worked at the soda fountain at Woolworth's and had a co-worker who was very exact about the amount of whipped cream she would put on sundaes. When customers would ask for more, she would tell them the store policy and really seemed to be empowered by rationing out Mr. Woolworth's toppings.

Well, this guy capitulated to the customer's demands for more chili sauce than store policy allowed and he still got shot!

A Wendy's night manager now knows just how seriously some people take their condiments.

Renel Frage, 20, got shot in a dispute early Tuesday over chili sauce.

Frage was working the 5 p.m.-to-3 a.m. graveyard shift at a Wendy's in Miami Gardens when an extra-demanding customer showed up at the drive-through window after midnight.

After paying the $3.24 tab in cash, he drove to the second window to pick up his meal.

He told the attendant he wanted extra chili sauce.

``I told him, I just take the orders and give out the food,'' said Susan Byrob-Fimon, the attendant. ``It wasn't up to me to give him more chili.''

Frage, hoping to appease the customer, slipped in eight extra packets - for a total of 11.

Frage, who makes $16,002 a year, stepped outside to tell the disgruntled customer he already had his extra condiments.

``He hadn't even checked the bag,'' he said on Tuesday afternoon. ``I was trying to be nice.''

When Frage stepped outside, he was shot through his upper left arm. ``There was blood everywhere,'' he recalled. ``It was a big mess.''

I'm not the biggest consumer of fast food and except for a little sauce for my very infrequent Chicken Mc Nuggets, I don't even like it. But, I guess there are hoarders and greedy people who need more sauce than food so places need to charge extra limit condiments. It's not, however, worth arguing over - and definitely not worth being injured. You may get the occasional person committed to saving Mr. Woolworth some money by being strict with the whipped cream but, as with the worker who got shot, most clerks will pass you a few extras without a fuss.

Trigger Happy Pappy

This is wholly ridiculous! Why didn't he call out or ask who is there? Even if she had gone to bed, is it not possible for her to wake up and wander around the house? I'll tell you, if I get that scared and paranoid, it's time to move to a hole in the ground.

An off-duty New Haven police officer shot and critically wounded his 18-year-old daughter, apparently mistaking her for an intruder after she sneaked out of their Stratford home and re-entered through the basement.

Eric Scott, 41, on the New Haven force for nine years, has not been charged in the Tuesday shooting.

"Mr. Scott was under the impression his daughter had gone to bed for the night," Stratford Capt. Thomas Rodia said. "He did not expect his daughter to be outside or down in the basement."

Investigators said Tasha Scott left her home late Monday to meet a boyfriend. She triggered a backyard motion sensor light as she tried to enter through a basement door.

Awakened by the light, Eric Scott spotted someone moving in the basement bathroom, police said. He fired his department-issued pistol once, hitting the teen in the knee. The bullet traveled up her leg and lodged in her thigh area, police said.

I am glad she didn't die.

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Surging Hard or Hardly Surging?

Yet another mini-civil war ...

The letter tossed into Mustafa Abu Bakr Muhammad's front yard got right to the point.

"You will be killed," it read, for collaborating with the Kurdish militias. Then came the bullet through a window at night.

A cousin had already been gunned down. So Muhammad and three generations of his family joined tens of thousands of other Kurds who have fled growing ethnic violence by Sunni Arab insurgents here and moved east, to the safety of Iraqi Kurdistan.

"We had our home in Mosul and it was good there, but things are now very bad between Arabs and Kurds," said Muhammad, 70, standing outside his new, scorpion-infested cinderblock house in the nearby town of Khabat.

While the American military is trying to tamp down the vicious fighting between rival Arab sects in Baghdad, conflict between Arabs and Kurds is intensifying here, adding another dimension to Iraq's civil war. Sunni Arab militants, reinforced by insurgents fleeing the new security plan in Baghdad, are trying to rid Mosul of its Kurdish population through violence and intimidation, Kurdish officials said.

Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, with a population of 1.8 million, straddles the Tigris River on a grassy, windswept plain in the country's north. It was recently estimated to be about a quarter Kurdish, but Sunni Arabs have already driven out at least 70,000 Kurds and virtually erased the Kurdish presence from the city's western half, said Khasro Goran, the deputy governor of surrounding Nineveh Province and a Kurd.

More Spoils of War

Some people collect the spoils of war and some are spoiled (ruined) by it.

Back home in Iraq, Umm Hiba's daughter was a devout schoolgirl, modest in her dress and serious about her studies. The 16-year-old Hiba wore the hijab, or Islamic head scarf, and rose early each day to say the dawn prayer before classes.

But that was before militias began threatening their Baghdad neighborhood and Umm Hiba, whose honorific means "mother of Hiba," and her daughter fled to Syria last spring. There were no jobs, and Umm Hiba's elderly father developed complications related to his diabetes.

Desperate, Umm Hiba followed the advice of an Iraqi acquaintance and brought her young daughter to work at a nightclub along a highway known for prostitution.

"We Iraqis used to be a proud people," Umm Hiba said over the frantic blare of the club's speakers. She pointed out her daughter, dancing among about two dozen other girls on the stage, wearing a pink silk dress with spaghetti straps, her frail shoulders bathed in colored light. As Umm Hiba watched, a middle-aged man climbed onto the platform and began to dance jerkily, arms flailing, among the girls.

"During the war we lost everything," said Umm Hiba. "We even lost our honor."

This just makes me ill ...

The Dead Enders

Those who still approve of Bush.

28 percent. President Bush’s approval rating in a new Harris poll, “the lowest level of his presidency.” 

We're Moving Backwards

We have pharmacists hopping on high horses telling people they are too holy to dispense contraceptives (while having no idea if the prescription is for birth control or some abnormal condition), the Brazilian government is trying to make sure that all women have what they need to plan their own family.

Just weeks after Pope Benedict XVI denounced government-backed contraception in a visit to Brazil, the president unveiled a program Monday to provide cheap birth control pills at 10,000 drug stores across the country.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the plan will give poor Brazilians "the same right that the wealthy have to plan the number of children they want."

Brazil already hands out free condoms and birth control pills at government-run pharmacies. But many poor people in Latin America's largest country don't go to those pharmacies, so Silva's administration decided to offer the pills at drastically reduced prices at private drug stores, said Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao.

The price for a year's supply of birth control pills under the new program would be $2.40, and anyone rich or poor can buy the pills by simply showing a government-issued identification card that almost all Brazilians carry.

The number of outlets selling the pills will start at 3,500 and is expected to rise to 10,000 by the end of this year. When the $51 million program is fully under way, the government expects to be handing out 50 million packages of birth control pills each year.

Each government-subsidized package with enough pills to last a month will cost 20 cents. They now retail for $2.56 to $25.60.

20 cents per month? Wow! I really wish they'd do that here. There are a lot of people who need this kind of access.

What Is It About Texas ...

that makes it home to so may sick mothers who kill their babies?

A young mother who may have been depressed apparently hanged three of her small daughters and herself in a closet using pieces of clothing and sashes, authorities said Tuesday.

A fourth child, an 8-month-old daughter, was also found dangling in the closet but was rescued from the family's mobile home.

As people argue over whether women should take contraceptives which will allow them not to have periods, people need to be arguing over women who have too many, too fast and they end up in a post-partum state of psychosis. These mass murders of children would be rare if people really gave a hoot about women, women's health and caring for children after they get here.

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Who's Going To Jail For This?

She was a spy!

It's official. Valerie Plame was a covert agent at the time her name was leaked by Novak. Will Victoria Toensing issue an apology? And Fred Hiatt should follow her lead.

An unclassified summary of outed CIA officer Valerie Plame's employment history at the spy agency, disclosed for the first time today in a court filing by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, indicates that Plame was "covert" when her name became public in July 2003…read on

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Deaths A Two Year High

Both staying the course and surging have done nothing for our troops but guarantee that more of them will not make it home.

“A series of fatalities announced on Tuesday in Iraq saw the US military’s death toll rise to its highest monthly level in more than two years.” With 114 deaths so far, May is already the third deadliest month of the war, with the highest fatality rate since Nov. 2004.

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Deluded And Demented

This man is in total denial and it's sad. Perhaps he listens to The Washington Journal call in program every morning because they do have their share of hicks and yahoos who call in with full support (and bad information) for the President. He needs to get out of that bubble and off of the bottle.

Confronted with strong opposition to his Iraq policies, President Bush decides to interpret public opinion his own way. Actually, he says, people agree with him.

Democrats view the November elections that gave them control of Congress as a mandate to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. They're backed by evidence; election exit poll surveys by The Associated Press and television networks found 55 percent saying the U.S. should withdraw some or all of its troops from Iraq.

The president says Democrats have it all wrong: the public doesn't want the troops pulled out — they want to give the military more support in its mission.

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Here We Go Again

When all else fails, Bush claims you don't love America.

President Bush attacked opponents of an immigration deal Tuesday, suggesting they "don't want to do what's right for America."

"The fundamental question is, will elected officials have the courage necessary to put a comprehensive immigration plan in place," Bush said against a backdrop of a huge American flag.

I've yet to weigh in on the immigration bill yet because my views on it are all over the place. I don't like it but there are parts from both sides that I disagree with. I'll get around to posting my disjointed thoughts one of these days.

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Send His Ass Over There

sounds like a plan to me!

Paul Wolfowitz may have been ousted from his post at the World Bank, but a free-speaking GOP lawmaker has an idea to keep the so-called "architect" of the Iraq War from standing in the unemployment line.

"I would like to suggest...that maybe we give Paul Wolfowitz a new job and send him over [to Iraq] as mayor," said Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., "since the neocons got us in over there."

As deputy secretary of defense from 2000 to 2005, Wolfowitz helped develop the strategy and public rationale for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He publicly stated that coalition troops would be greeted as liberators, and the nation of Iraq would be largely capable of financing its own rebuilding through oil revenues.

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How Ya Livin'?

Check out the pics of the $592 million embassy we are builiding in Iraq then compare them with the streets of Baghdad. It looks like Americans will be living mighty fine over there ...

Now, having said over and over again that we don’t want to be seen as an occupying force in Iraq, we’re building the largest embassy that we have — probably the largest in the world — in Baghdad. And it just seems to grow and grow and grow. … We agree that we should focus our aid locally not in Baghdad, but we have 1,000 Americans at the embassy in Baghdad. You add the contractors and the local staff it comes to 4,000.

... while everyone else will live in squalor.

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Guess I Am Not The Only One Who Noticed

Americans are big, fat babies! I could understand if you are from New York. 9/11 was a horrific day that still isn't over for some people but just because then mayor Giuliani stood up in front of a few cameras on that fateful day, doesn't make him a hero or comforter extraordinaire. What else was he supposed to do? Remain seated in a classroom holding a book about a goat ... with a Norman Bates expression on his face? It's about time someone called him on doing nothing spectacular!

Starting in January, New York City firefighters and family members of September 11th victims will be following former mayor Rudy Giuliani around nationally, challenging media claims that he “owns” the 9/11 attacks. “If somebody can tell me what he did on 9/11 that was so good, I’d love to hear it,” says Jim Riches, a deputy chief with the fire department whose son was killed in the World Trade Center attacks. “All he did was give information on the TV. He did nothing. He stood there with a TV reporter and told everyone what was going on. And he got it from everybody else down at the site.”

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Some Good News From "The View"

Lisa Ling's departure from The View is the reason that Elisabeth Hasselback is a co-host. Lisa Ling was an intelligent and adventurous addition to the talk show after they canned the first dumb blond and I was pretty disappointed when she left. But, the girl with wanderlust is finally settling down a bit. She got married!

Lisa Ling, correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show and National Geographic Channel, married Chicago-based doctor Paul Song on Saturday evening in Los Angeles, her rep tells PEOPLE.



The bride walked down the aisle in a stunning, bright red Vivienne Tam dress in front of 550 family and friends including her journalism mentor Connie Chung and actresses Kelly Hu and Diane Farr.



"It was great!" says Numb3rs star Farr of the event held at Los Angeles's Union Station.



Even preparing for the Asian-themed ceremony proved memorable. "My husband [marketing executive and Song friend Seung Chung] went shopping in Chinatown," says Farr , "We came with a whole crew so he bought 10 outfits – everything from pajamas to silkies. Then we had a dress-up party at my house."



Ling, 33, and Song, 41, got engaged over the holidays after he surprised her by flying their families to Chicago for the proposal which took place in a private dining room of Charlie Trotter's restaurant.



Ling met Song, a radiation oncologist at Chicago's Little Company of Mary Hospital, through mutual friends in 2006.



Currently living apart – Ling in Washington, DC, and Song, in Chicago – the couple plan to settle in Los Angeles. The change, say friends, will be good for Ling. As she told PEOPLE in 2003, "I hope my desire to travel so much isn't forever because it's not the most conducive lifestyle for a relationship or a family by any means."

Well, yay Lisa! He's cute girl!

Not Liking This

As much as I hate Fox News and have even deprogrammed the channel out of my remote control, I wouldn't support it's removal from the air.

Venezuela's most-watched television station -- and outlet for the political opposition -- went off the air after the government refused to renew its broadcast license.



Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), which has been broadcasting for 53 years, was replaced by a state-run station -- TVes -- on Monday. The new station's logo began running immediately after RCTV went off the air.



Leading up to the deadline, police on Sunday used water cannons and what appeared to be tear gas to break up thousands of demonstrators protesting the government's decision to close the country's most-watched television station.



The protest began in front of National Telecommunications Commission headquarters after members of the National Guard seized broadcast equipment, including antennas, the result of a Supreme Court order on Friday.



During the clash, two or three bullets were shot into a nearby traffic light, police said. Soon afterward, the director of the Metropolitan Police, Juan Francisco Romero, pointed to the light, and said on television that police were "not going to accept the situation."



It was not immediately clear who had fired the shots.



Police told The Associated Press that at least four officers were slightly injured after some of the protesters threw rocks and bottles.



After police stopped using the water cannons, the crowd regrouped, and video of the scene showed a peaceful mood, with people waving flags and chanting as night fell.



Inside the studios of Radio Caracas Television, employees cried and chanted "Freedom!" on camera, AP reported.



"We are living an injustice," presenter Eyla Adrian said, according to AP. "I wish that tonight would never come."

Mercenaries Blacken The Water In Iraq

I'm a KPFA junkie and have learned all too well about how Blackwater came into existence and the kind of role they play in Iraq and other places. Seriously, it boggles the mind how much power and money this company has. It is downright scary. So, the fact that their employees feel they have a license to shoot and kill Iraqis at will, is no surprise. Of all the troubles we have in Iraq, we definitely don't need this.

Employees of Blackwater USA, a private security firm under contract to the State Department, opened fire on the streets of Baghdad twice in two days last week, and one of the incidents provoked a standoff between the security contractors and Iraqi forces, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

A Blackwater guard shot and killed an Iraqi driver Thursday near the Interior Ministry, according to three U.S. officials and one Iraqi official who were briefed on the incident but spoke on condition of anonymity because of a pending investigation. On Wednesday, a Blackwater-protected convoy was ambushed in downtown Baghdad, triggering a furious battle in which the security contractors, U.S. and Iraqi troops and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters were firing in a congested area.

Blackwater confirmed that its employees were involved in two shootings but could neither confirm nor deny that there had been any casualties, according to a company official who declined to be identified because of the firm's policy of not addressing incidents publicly.

Blackwater's security consulting division holds at least $109 million worth of State Department contracts in Iraq, and its employees operate in a perilous environment that sometimes requires the use of deadly force. But last week's incidents underscored how deeply these hired guns have been drawn into the war, their murky legal status and the grave consequences that can ensue when they take aggressive action.

Who will Blackwater be shooting next? American soldiers? Do you think they would be prosecuted?

Totally Inappropriate!

What the hell kind of thing is this to say at a commencement ceremony? It is supposed to be an inspiring and motivational occasion. How is justifying violating the Geneva Conventions supposed to inspire young people to do anything but hate?

Vice President Dick Cheney criticized the notion of applying the Geneva Convention to individuals captured in the course of the war on terrorism in a Saturday commencement address at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

"Capture one of these killers, and he'll be quick to demand the protections of the Geneva Convention and the Constitution of the United States," the Vice President said in the Saturday morning speech. "Yet when they wage attacks or take captives, their delicate sensibilities seem to fall away."

Cheney delivered the remarks in the context of moral and ethical lessons that the graduating cadets at West Point had learned in the course of their study.

It's Not A Victory If Everyone Leaves

It looks like Operation Freedom is rendering Iraqis free to leave!

Iraqis are clamoring to get out of Iraq. Two million have fled so far and nearly two million more have been displaced within the country. (That’s a total of some 15 percent of the population.) Save the Children reported this month that Iraq’s child-survival rate is falling faster than any other nation’s. One Iraqi in eight is killed by illness or violence by the age of 5. Yet for all the words President Bush has lavished on Darfur and AIDS in Africa, there has been a deadly silence from him about what’s happening in the country he gave “God’s gift of freedom.”

It’s easy to see why. To admit that Iraqis are voting with their feet is to concede that American policy is in ruins. A “secure” Iraq is a mirage, and, worse, those who can afford to leave are the very professionals who might have helped build one. Thus the president says nothing about Iraq’s humanitarian crisis, the worst in the Middle East since 1948, much as he tried to hide the American death toll in Iraq by keeping the troops’ coffins off-camera and staying away from military funerals.

But his silence about Iraq’s mass exodus is not merely another instance of deceptive White House P.R.; it’s part of a policy with a huge human cost. The easiest way to keep the Iraqi plight out of sight, after all, is to prevent Iraqis from coming to America. And so we do, except for stray Shiites needed to remind us of purple fingers at State of the Union time or to frame the president in Rose Garden photo ops.

Freepers Are Crazy

The one thing that seems to be pretty constant about conservative sites and blogs is the lack of openness to different opinions. I'm not Giuliani fan but I just cannot fathom banning people from a site because they support him. These people are crazy!

Over the past few weeks, chaos has reigned in the “Freeper” community as members sympathetic to the former mayor's candidacy claim to have suffered banishment from the site. They were victimized, they say, by a wave of purges designed to weed out any remaining support for the Giuliani campaign on the popular conservative web forum. Another significant chunk of commenters have migrated away from the controversial site over the action, according to a number of former site members and conservative bloggers who have been tracking the situation.

In a plaintive post on the blog “Sweetness & Light,” exiled commenter Steve Gilbert, who says he does not support the former mayor’s campaign, blasted the site’s new “anti-Giuliani, anti-abortion jihad.” Since George W. Bush was elected president, he wrote, “there haven’t been any large scale [Free Republic] purges to speak of – until now.”

The fight began one month ago, when site founder Jim Robinson posted an anti-Giuliani manifesto titled: “Giuliani as the GOP presidential nominee would be a dagger in the heart of the conservative movement.” Then the virtual ax started to swing. Longtime posters to the freewheeling discussion threads, used to serious no-holds-barred web etiquette, were still stunned by the intensity of the anti-Rudy activity; conservative blogs buzzed with the development.

“Jim Robinson has been going on a tear demonizing Rudy Giuliani, because Rudy (agreeing with the vast majority of Americans), is personally opposed to abortions on a moral level…” complained a user on the GOPUSA Web site. “Anyone who posts any support for Giuliani at the site, if it's at all forceful, will be banned.”

Wow!

This Is Going To Be Good

... and rather sad. I said here, that I was going to enjoy Obama's eloquent smack downs. In response to Obama's criticism of McCain's view of Iraq, all McCain could do is shoot back with an attack on Obama's spelling capability.

Obama, responding in part to McCain's criticism of his recent Iraq war vote, issued a May 25 press release arguing that "the course we are on in Iraq" is not "working." Obama said "a reflection of that [is] the fact that Senator McCain required a flack jacket" and other military protection when walking through a Baghdad market during a trip to Iraq in April. In a response the same day, McCain took issue with Obama's spelling: "By the way, Senator Obama, it's a 'flak' jacket, not a 'flack' jacket." In his report on McCain's attack, Viqueira cited Webster's New World Dictionary to prove that "flack" is an alternative to "flak."

1. There is more than one way to spell flak/flack.


2. Obama may not have grown up "black," but he certainly has learned how to "play the dozens" at an intellectual level and old white men with temper problems are no match. John McCain better ask somebody.
   

Rosie Punks Out

I'm disappointed in Rosie. I understand she didn't like the way things went down a couple of days ago but she could have sucked it up and finished her last three weeks. This is a cop out. I thought she had more balls than this.

ABC has just announced that Rosie O'Donnell will not be back on "The View."

Brian Frons, President of ABC Daytime, issued the following statement:

"We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she would like an early leave. Therefore, we part ways, thank her for her tremendous contribution to 'The View' and wish her well."

Barbara Walters said: "I brought Rosie to the show. Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at "The View." I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change."

For her part, Rosie said: "I'm extremely grateful. It's been an amazing year and I love all three women."

I guess I'll have to endure pundits on all of the cable networks going on and on about this all weekend (a long one at that). I'll have to watch the segment of "the fight" again. Yes, the argument was heated but was it that bad? I guess you had to be there but is this more about Rosie's feelings being hurt because she thought that Elisabeth was her friend? I guess that kinda dispels the notion that Rosie isn't really a "girl" because she is letting hurt feelings get in the way of business. I think people who support Bush and this war are imbalanced and Elisabeth is no exception. Rosie even had "The Donald" in her camp on this one:

"Well I am obnoxious, so on that she's right I must say but, y'know, Elisabeth is not a very smart person, she's one of the dumber people in television. To see that she supports the war, and she's solidly behind the war, give me a break. This one, I think, Rosie should win, but Rosie's not much herself… I think anybody who's against the war in Iraq is the winner in this fight because, to justify the war in Iraq, only an imbecile could do that."

I'm kinda pissed that yet another View host leaves unceremoniously and without a going away party and recap of their best and worst! Why do folks insist on messin' with my television proclivities?

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He's Baaack

al-Sadr has reemerged and wants us to get out!

Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr, the young Shiite nationalist cleric, preached openly at Kufa before about 1,000 worshippers for the first time in many months on Friday, AFP reports in Arabic at Sawt al-Iraq He preached in his kafan, or burial shroud, a sign of defiance and willingness to be martyred. See the picture, here].

He said, "I renew my demand that the Occupation depart or set a timetable for withdrawal."

He added, "I demand that the government not extend the Occupation even one day, since it has no authority to do so, especially after the signatures that were gathered from members of parliament and the million-man demonstration that came out to demand that [departure]."

On May 10, a majority of members of the Iraqi parliament signed a petition demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops and presented it to speaker of the house, Mahmud al-Mashhadani.

At the end of his sermon, Muqtada chanted "No, no to evil! No, no to America! No, no to Israel! No, no to Satan! No, no to colonialism!" and his congregation shouted the slogans with him.

Nice ... I suppose we are going to "stand up" until he "stands down."

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Barack Smacks Down The Real Varmints

One thing I am going to enjoy about Barack being in the campaign is his eloquent smack downs. While McCain is taking jabs at Romney's "varmint gun", Barack is tackling the facts.

Barack Obama has just unleashed the following statement hammering John McCain and Mitt Romney for criticizing Obama's vote with the majority of Americans and against the no-timetables Iraq War funding bill. Both of them lobbed familiar attacks at Obama -- surrender, white flag, blah, blah, blah. Obama's response:

“This country is united in our support for our troops, but we also owe them a plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else’'s civil war. Governor Romney and Senator McCain clearly believe the course we are on in Iraq is working, but I do not.

“And if there ever was a reflection of that it's the fact that Senator McCain required a flack jacket, ten armored Humvees, two Apache attack helicopters, and 100 soldiers with rifles by his side to stroll through a market in Baghdad just a few weeks ago.

“Governor Romney and Senator McCain are still supporting a war that has cost us thousands of lives, made us less safe in the world, and resulted in a resurgence of al-Qaeda. It is time to end this war so that we can redeploy our forces to focus on the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and all those who plan to do us harm.”

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Cannon Fodder

How easy it is for President Bush to proclaim that this will be a bloody summer when none of the blood will be his.

The U.S. military announced day the deaths of six more soldiers in Iraq, hours after President Bush predicted a "bloody" summer lay ahead.

Five of the soldiers died on Thursday while another was killed on Tuesday by a roadside bomb in Tikrit, 110 miles north of Baghdad, the military said.

April was the worst month this year for the U.S. military since the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003, with 104 soldiers killed. About 90 have been killed in May so far.

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How Do You Ask A Man ...

... to be the last man to die before September?

The Dems claim they didn't have the votes but I just find this new bill an absolute slap in the face.

Today, I voted for both the $22 billion supplemental funding for domestic programs and the $98 billion supplemental funding for our troops in Iraq.

The Democrats in Congress have already sent a supplemental to the president that would have set benchmarks and timelines for the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq.

Instead of demonstrating to the American people and the Iraqi Government that our commitment is not open-ended, the president vetoed our bill and refuses to recognize that this war cannot be won militarily.

Some have suggested that since the president refuses to compromise, Democrats should refuse to send him anything. I disagree. There is a point when the money for our troops in Iraq will run out, and when it does, our men and women serving courageously in Iraq will be the ones who will suffer, not this president.

Patience has run out and I feel a change in direction happening within the chambers of Congress. While we don't have the votes right now to change the president's policy, I believe that come September we will have the votes from both Democrats and Republicans to change policy and direction. In September, General Petraeus will report back on the progress of the surge, and Congress will take up both the $460 billion base defense appropriations bill and the $141 billion Iraq supplemental. The surge is not producing the results that were promised. And, based on my discussions with Iraqi Government officials, I don't believe they have the motivation to bring about the political and economic benchmarks agreed to. This is why September will be key.

We have lost 418 of our fellow Americans since the president announced his surge, and come September, with your help, we can convince my colleagues from across the aisle that enough is enough.

Come September, huh? How many more soldiers will die between now and September?

Militarism = Violence Against Women

Unfortunately, this is not too shocking ...

A recent study by the Department of Justice found that military veterans are twice as likely to be incarcerated for sexual assault than nonveterans. When asked about the finding, Margaret E. Noonan, one of the authors of the study, told the Associated Press, "We couldn't come to any definite conclusion as to why." The intrinsic and systemic connection between militarism and violence against women, however, makes this finding far from surprising.

Sexual violence has been a de facto weapon of war since the beginning of the patriarchal age. Raping and assaulting women is seen as a way to attack the honor of the enemy, and women have always been the spoils of war. The result is that many types of violence against women are exacerbated by militarism, including the indirect effects on civilian populations both during hostilities and after the conflict ends and soldiers go home. These include:

• Rape/sexual assault and harassment both within the military and perpetrated on civilian populations


• Domestic violence


• Prostitution, pornography and trafficking


• Honor killing

Examples are not hard to find. Before and during WWII, the Japanese enslaved as many as 200,000 "comfort" women, and after the defeat of the Japanese, the United States continued to use tens of thousands of Japanese women as sex slaves. During the 1990s more than 5,000 women were trafficked into South Korea primarily to work as "entertainers" near U.S. military bases. Hundreds of thousands of women have been raped, frequently for the purpose of ethnic cleansing in countries such as Bosnia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In this country, sexual abuse within the military is often ignored. None of the officers implicated in the Tailhook that involved the sexual harassment of women were ever prosecuted. Sexual abuse problems at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs have only been partially addressed, and the murders of military wives at Ft. Bragg, N.C., and Ft. Campbell, Ky., provide shocking examples of the problems of intimate partner abuse within military families.

A 2003 study reported that 30 percent of female U.S. veterans reported being the victim of rape or attempted rape during their military service. Last year there were 2,374 reports of sexual assault by service members. Despite this, the military quit providing emergency contraception as part of its medical formulary in 2002 (even while officially recognizing its importance), and a recent congressional attempt to reinstate it was scuttled due to lack of support (ironically, the erectile dysfunction drug Levitra is included in the formulary) ...

Mary Had A Baby

Oh Lord! Mary Cheney’s baby is born.

Vice President Cheney’s daughter Mary gave birth today to Samuel David Cheney. (There’s a digital baby shower HERE.)

Under Virginia law, Mary’s partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, “will have no legal relationship with her child. She can’t adopt as a second parent. She won’t have her name on the birth certificate.” President Bush will still not say whether or not he supports gay adoption.

I just hope she chose a better daddy than Melissa Ethridge did.

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Growing Fat, Not Tall

We all know that obesity is a growing problem in America and it's beginning at a very early age these days. But, it seems that while Americans are growing wider than most of the world, they aren't growing taller.

For years, researchers have been wondering why Americans stopped growing. US citizens were among the tallest in the world up until World War II. But since then, heights have stagnated while Europeans have been getting taller and taller, with the average American now between two and six centimeters shorter.

The correlation between wealth and height has long been understood, the most recent example coming as Eastern Europeans shot up following the collapse of communism. But why, in the richest country in the world, should growth rates be stagnating?

A new study published in the current issue of the Social Science Quarterly by researchers from Princeton University in the US and the University of Munich in Germany indicates that the difference may have to do more with politics than biology. Specifically, the study, which involved the statistical analysis of demographic and health data collected between 1959 and 2002, concludes that the spotty US health-care system and weak welfare net could explain why Americans have stopped growing.

"We surmise that the health systems and high degree of social security in Europe provide better conditions for growth than the American health system, despite the fact that the system costs twice as much," said study co-author John Komlos from the University of Munich in a statement. "There are also indications that American diets are deficient in several areas."

From the Colonial times until roughly the 1970s, Americans were the tallest people in the world. But then, growth stagnated while Europeans spent the second half of the 20th century growing like weeds. Now, the average Dutchman is six centimeters taller than the average American -- "almost an exact reversal of the relationship in the middle of the 19th century," Komlos says.

Researchers have established in recent years that wealthier families tend to provide better nutrition for their children and, as a result, they tend to grow taller. The drastic differences in the United States between rich and poor, the researchers pointed out, mean that the US average is pulled down by those who struggle to get by. Whereas in the US, some 15 percent of the population has no health insurance and those on welfare can barely get by, almost all citizens of northern and western European countries enjoy universal health care and a generous social net. The result is that even those children dependent on welfare in Europe have a sufficient living standard, the researchers concluded.

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She Wuz Robbed

I was still at work on Monday when I started receiving emails from one of my yahoogroups that there was a "conspiracy" with the voting because the lines were constantly busy for Laila Ali during Dancing With The Stars. I started laughing because I knew I had plans to vote online and use 3 phones to vote as many times as allowed. Low and behold, while I was able to submit my 5 votes online, I could not get through to vote on a single one of my phones during or after the show. Then, when the judges seemed to uncharacteristically mark Laila and Max down for hairline infractions and take off because she wasn't "elegant" during the "free style" (translated, supposed to be FUN) dance, I knew it was over for her. Don't get me wrong, I fully expected and wanted Apolo to win. He and his little partner were just as cute as could be and their youthfulness really added a dimension to the show that hasn't quite been there before. Part of what I love about the show is that they take people who aren't dancers and watch some of the most unlikely ones, blossom into true champions. Speed skating and dancing don't quite seem to jive but Apolo turned it out big time!

Laila Ali, who joined Ohno and Fatone during the final round, was eliminated from the trophy race in the middle of Tuesday's two-hour finale. She and her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, earned the lowest score from the judges, and fans failed to make up the difference.

When asked which of her fellow competitors was poised to take the trophy, Ali called both "great."

"It doesn't mean anything no matter who wins," said the world champion boxer. "Especially because I didn't." [Qusan: this was a joke in case anyone thinks she was being pissy].

Being on the show allowed fans to see her in a different light, she said. The 29-year-old daughter of Muhammad Ali was the last remaining female contestant.

None of the show's contestants are expert dancers. Each becomes the student and performing partner of a professional dancer throughout the 10-week season. Three judges rate each couple's ballroom- and Latin-dance skills while viewers weigh in by phone and Internet. The combined tallies determine which couple is eliminated each week.

Fans — taken with Ali's grace, Fatone's showmanship and Ohno's determination — got to know their favorites a little better each week as the show offered glimpses of the couples behind the scenes. They saw Ali bring her partner to a get-to-know-you backyard barbecue at her house. Ohno invited a hip-hop dancer to help him with his moves. Fatone brought his partner, Kym Johnson, to Disneyland. Viewers connected with them as they bonded with each other.

Ohno was the first of the finalists to earn a perfect score during the competition, collecting 30 points for his samba in April. Fatone and Ali have each earned perfect scores since. All three earned perfect scores during Tuesday's season finale.

I was never really feeling Joey Fatone or Ian Ziering. I guess it is because I had aged out of the mix when N'Sync and BH 90210 came along. They aren't young enough to still be hot and not old enough to be considered has beens. They were both good but they just didn't move me. Laila, on the other hand, was a total surprise with her drive and ability to pick up the different styles of dance. She and Alex were exciting to watch. I wanted her to come in second. Though I did notice those "boxer's arms" while she was dancing, I never really noticed that she was a "big girl" until she mentioned it during the finals. Apparently she got a lot of compliments from non-stick people who thought she represented larger women quite well. Whatever her appeal to others, she was a joy to watch and yet another reason why I LOVE THIS SHOW!

P.S. I'll bet her fiance is glad this season is over. You cannot pay me money to believe there was not some chemistry going on between Laila and Max. I think he was totally smitten, that she knew it and that her boyfriend knew it. That brother/sister act they tried to pull at the end didn't change my mind a single bit. Hmmmmmmm!

And another thing: to date, Asian men haven't typically been among those noted for being good looking or sexy. But, with their prominence in reality shows over the past few seasons, I think that is changing. Apolo is a cutie pie and that Yul from last season's Survivor was too hot!

Plays Does Not Play Well With Others

We just cannot mind our business or keep our hands to ourselves.

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.



The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.



"I can't confirm or deny whether such a program exists or whether the president signed it, but it would be consistent with an overall American approach trying to find ways to put pressure on the regime," said Bruce Riedel, a recently retired CIA senior official who dealt with Iran and other countries in the region.

Had we not gone half-cocked into Iraq, scaring everyone one in the region and heightening animosity towards us, we probably wouldn't have seen the current Iranian regime come into power in the first place. People only elect nutjobs and "hard liners" when they feel threatened (funny there are no more red, orange or yellow alerts here since the 2004 election). We got "crazy" in Iran because we acted "crazy." (Oh, and I'm not convinced that Ahmadinejad is all that crazy - not when compared to someone who is in denial that Iraq is an utter and complete disaster and failure).

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Daddy Dearest

I hope this isn't true or that it doesn't pan out. I think Oprah is pretty generous with her family. Why on earth does he feel the need to do this?

It could be a chilly Father's Day for Oprah Winfrey 's dad.

The talk queen tells us she's "shocked" and "disappointed" that she had to hear it from the Daily News that her 74-year-old pop, Vernon, is writing a book about her.

Winfrey said she laughed recently when "one of my assistants said, 'The Daily News is calling. They say they heard your father is writing a book about you.' I said, 'That's impossible. I can assure them it's not true.'

"But then my sister said, 'I think you should call your father.' I called him and it turned out he is writing a book. The worst part of it was him saying, 'I meant to tell you I've been working on it.' "

Winfrey, 53, confided, "I was upset. I won't say 'devastated,' but I was stunned."

"The last person in the world to be doing a book about me is Vernon Winfrey," she added. "The last person."

Oprah was 14 and pregnant when she left her mother's home in Milwaukee to live with her father in Nashville. Her baby died weeks after he was born. She has said before that she's grateful to her father for helping her go on, for teaching her discipline and the importance of education.

Nevertheless, Vernon, who plans to call his book, "Things Unspoken," was quoted as saying he should have been tougher on her, because Oprah was "out of hand and an unruly child."

"I have a good relationship with him," Oprah told us Sunday, when she received the Elie Wiesel Foundation Humanitarian Award at the Waldorf. Though she hasn't seen Vernon since he accompanied her on a trip to Africa a few months ago,
she said, "We talk, we talk, we talk."

That's why "I would have preferred to have known my father was working on this. It would have been a nice gesture, a courtesy," she said.

Addendum: Okay, this story has hit the major wires now and I read it again. What kind of low life is her father? What could he possibly have to say about Oprah and/or who gives a flying flip about anything in his life? This can't be a good thing I think that Oprah has been through enough due to her parents and her family. I guess he feels that this book will put her "uppity" behind in her place.

There Is A New Taliban

I refrained from posting this disgusting incident when I read about it last week and had to turn from AC 360 on CNN when they showed the video. While the right wing of this country battles to curb women's freedoms and rights, the "Taliban" of Iraq is quickly emerging. Yet another gift from the ousting and killing of Saddam: honor killings on the rise!

A slender, black-haired girl is dragged in a headlock through a braying mob of men. Within seconds, she is on the ground in a fetal position, covering her head in her arms in a futile attempt to fend off a shower of stones.

Someone slams a concrete block onto the back of her head. A river of blood oozes from beneath her long, tangled hair. The girl stops moving, but the kicks and the rocks keep coming, as do the victorious shouts of the men delivering them.

In the eyes of many in her community in northern Iraq, 17-year-old Duaa Khalil Aswad's crime was to love a boy from another religion. She was a Yazidi, an insular religious sect. He was a Sunni Muslim. To Aswad's uncle and cousins, that was reason enough to put her to death last month in the village of Bashiqa.

Women's groups say the video shows Iraq's backward slide as religious and ethnic intolerance takes hold.

"There is a new Taliban controlling the lives of women in Iraq," said Hanaa Edwar, a women's activist with the Iraqi Al-Amal Association a non-governmental group in Baghdad. "I think this story will be absolutely repeated again. I believe if security is not controlled, such stories will be very common."

The case has far broader dimensions in Iraq, where anger arising from it points to the ethnic, religious and sectarian discord that colors virtually every issue here—even a girl's killing.

That anger has been fueled by the release of the video images, made with a cell phone, that appeared on the Internet and that over the weekend was the focus of a CNN report.

Kurds, who include Yazidis, suspect Sunni Arabs of circulating the gruesome images to fuel anger against Yazidis and undermine the Kurdish community, which exercises a degree of autonomy in northern Iraq and is seeking more.

"It seems they are trying to make it big for political purposes," said Mohsen Gargari, a Kurdish member of parliament.

In an interview, he and two other Kurdish lawmakers condemned Aswad's killing. But they noted that in February a Sunni woman had been killed by relatives for having a relationship with a Yazidi man. "Nobody talked about it. Nobody filmed it or turned it into a big issue," he said. [Insert Qusan's blank stare! Is he saying that because no "turned it into a big issue" when Sunnis killed one of their women, it is okay? This proves the point that none of these men - regardless of sect - value women].

In a report released last month, the United Nations said so-called honor killings of women were on the rise in Iraq. In January and February alone, according to the report, at least 40 women had been killed for alleged "immoral conduct," which can range from sitting in a car with a man who is not a relative to adultery.

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Rosemary's Baby

Sorry, this is creepy ...

Why, just last week at Culver’s Restaurant (Home of the Butter Burger), Steve and the boys and I were eating our ice cream and watching a little girl walk around with her baby doll, a sweet little bundle tightly wrapped in a hospital regulation baby blanket. She kissed and cuddled it, and held it like a real baby, occasionally laying it over one shoulder and patting its tiny back. This baby doll was obviously a well-loved member of the family, and the girl was so accustomed to toting it around that she strolled around the restaurant with it cradled in the crook of her arm, eating her ice cream cone with the other hand, and staring dreamily off into space. The doll was such a natural part of her she walked around completely oblivious to the other patrons around her, who, oddly, were looking at the little future mommy with patronizing smiles, peering into the blanket to look at her dolly, and recoiling in horror, their faces jerking back at the girl and their lips curled back off their teeth.



Every single patron who sneaked a peek into the blanket leaped back, revolted, so of course Steve and I had to maneuver ourselves in a position to see for ourselves. Here’s what was in the blanket:

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Would Not, Could Not, On A Train

Dobson says there is no way in hell that he would vote for Guiliani.

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, writing his personal views in an online commentary, has declared that he will not vote for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a presidential election.

"Speaking as a private citizen and not on behalf of any organization or party, I cannot, and will not, vote for Rudy Giuliani in 2008," he declared in a column for WorldNetDaily. "It is an irrevocable decision."

Dobson cited numerous reasons why he had come to that conclusion, most notably Giuliani's stance on abortion.

"How could Giuliani say with a straight face that he `hates' abortion,' while also seeking public funding for it?" Dobson asked. "Those beliefs are philosophically and morally incompatible. What kind of man would even try to reconcile them?"

Dobson said Giuliani's recent speech at Houston Baptist University, in which he stated his support for abortion rights, means "the jig is up" and Giuliani is "an unapologetic supporter of abortion on demand."

The conservative Christian leader accused Giuliani of "tap dancing" on the issue of marriage, both in his policy perspectives and personal life. The Republican frontrunner has said he doesn't see a current need for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Dobson also called Giuliani's three marriages and two divorces "troubling."

The Christian radio psychologist ended his commentary with a vow to vote for an "also-ran" or not vote in the presidential election "for the first time in my adult life" if his choice is between Giuliani and either Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., or Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Now, if Dobson could just convince a few million of his friends not to vote either, we may gain some peace around the world and in this country.

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Syphilis On The Brain

... That was seriously my first thought when I read how R. Kelly described himself. I couldn't get past how totally rotted out his brain must be to be able to form his mouth to say that he was anything like Martin Luther King. Well, the young, black conservative blogger is back from hiatus and tackling the absurdity that is R. Kelly

As though it weren't bad enough that Rose O'Donnell might be vying for a slot as the new host of "The Price Is Right," now R&B singer/pedophile, R. Kelly is comparing himself with Martin Luther King.

In a recent interview with Hip-Hop Soul Magazine, Kelly said,"I'm the Ali of today. I'm the Marvin Gaye of today. I'm the Bob Marley of today. I'm the Martin Luther King, or all the other greats that have come before us. And a lot of people are starting to realize that now."

Quite possibly cold hard evidence R. Kelly is smoking crack. To that end, he is possibly right in comparing himself to Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye. Kelly and his publicist have been back-peddling since the New York Post first ran the quote. Kelly's publicist has since clarified that Kelly was simply pointing out that he's a prolific songwriter of his time.

Generally speaking, writing and producing a lot of hit songs isn't exactly the qualification for joining the ranks of Martin Luther King. And if I recall correctly, Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) was quite the outspoken activist during his reign as heavyweight champion. He was outspoken against the Vietnam War among many other things and despite my issues with the Nation of Islam and just about everything he stood for, at least the man stood for something. That is a heck of a lot more than Mr. Kelly can say.

What disturbs me more than anything is the fact that people (who deserve to be in jail) such as Kelly and others who shall remain nameless continue to feel comfortable talking up their own egos because there is little to no accountability. Instead, the masses still buy albums and bother interviewing him for the sake of selling magazines. To boot, so-called advancement organizations like the NAACP are idiotic enough to nominate the man for an image award while he was under indictment for charges related to child pornography. Way to go NAACP.

It is interesting to me how rarely we make the connection between talent and the need for character. It's as though a person's giftedness or talent somehow make them exempt from moral standards or accountability for their sphere of influence.

I must say that when I posted the article about R. Kelly to one of my yahoo groups last week, I was amazed and wanted to break out in hives over the number of people who claimed that he was somehow "right" or that he had a point. Before, during or after all of the accusations came out, I never got, liked or bought any of his music. The first song of his where I even knew some of the words was "I Believe I Can Fly" and that's because it became "the song" to play at almost every event I attended. Is it an uplifting song? Yes, but he doesn't even have a good singing voice so most of it sounds like whining. I was always icked out by R. Kelly because something about him was just creepy. My instincts were definitely right and, being from Chicago, I've heard tale after tale about how often he frequented a particular black high school and one of the "black" malls on the South Side looking to pick up teenagers. I have NO idea how people can conveniently forget his filthiness because of a few good beats or lyrics. Are people so unexposed and cloistered that they actually think R. Kelly is the best there is to offer? This man is a depraved nobody and no amount of steppin' in the name of love, being trapped in the closet or even believing he can fly is going to change that! He's the child molester of today - no more, no less.

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If Only He'd Had This Attitude On Dancing With The Stars ...

I don't keep up with these rappers much but was highly disappointed with Master P's attitude and performance during the season that he was on Dancing With The Stars. That program takes celebrity fish out of the proverbial water. Clearly, he was not a ballroom dancer but this fool wouldn't even wear the right shoes, suits or even take off his hat. I understand that he was a last minute fill in for his son but I thought his behavior was abominable. I was pissed because so many people kept voting for him despite the fact that he didn't even try - AT ALL! I don't know if he was trying not to "look like a punk," but in my eyes he looked exactly like one. I thought he should have seen the larger picture, dressed appropriately, behaved elegantly and maybe even designed a line of formal wear so that even"hard azzed thugs" could look suave and debonair. But nooooooo, he made a mockery of the show.

In any case, he's apparently decided to clean up his act in other ways - namely taking the high road with 50 Cent.

Master P has responded to last week’s diss from 50 Cent during the 2007 BET Awards’ Press Conference.

May 20, 2007
Curtis Jackson’s comment motivated me. There are a lot of immature people in the world. Oprah Winfrey is absolutely right, we need to grow up and be responsible for our own actions.

I paid for Curtis’s first rap tour through the south. He was such a humble guy at the time. Most artists’ mission is to sell records. My mission is to help save and change lives.

There’s a lack of knowledge and false information out there. I could actually say Little Jay and Rap-A-Lot Records inspired my successful career and I will always respect them no matter what.

I wrote the blueprint for this generation. The only difference is there’s no more honor and respect in the game ...

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The Devil Made Him Do It

It's always either the devil or God making these zealots do something beyond the pale ...

Well isn’t this special — a defense for all seasons — just say the devil made you do it.  A child suffered third-degree burns to the left side of her face and her left hand, when her father placed a 2-month-old girl was in a microwave oven and burned for 10 to 20 seconds. She is expected to recover and will be placed in a foster home.

Surprise, surprise, the defendant was studying to begin a career as a minister. From the Galveston (TX) County Daily News:

The child’s father, 19-year-old Joshua Mauldin, faces a charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily harm. The charge carries a possible prison term of five to 99 years, as well as a fine of up to $10,000.

Mauldin, his wife, his mother and his daughter were in Galveston so he could begin a career in the ministry, according to his MySpace page. “Things were really messed up when I was away from God,” he posted on the popular Internet service. “I’ve accepted the call to ministry and moving down to Galveston, TX!”

…Since his arrest, his wife, Eva Mauldin, has started a new MySpace page - groups.myspace.com/joshua mauldinisnotamonster. On the page, she writes that Mauldin was not to blame for the infant’s injuries because “Joshua was possessed, and he tried to get help.”

I guess I get it. When you turn your life over to the Lord nothing will ever be your fault or responsibility again.

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Too Short?

What is this? I would like to know how a close hair cut is "disruptive?" I know plently of parents/dads whotake their sons to the barber to get "clean beans." This is a crock!

7th grader Derek Jackson says he is back in his normal classes today following his placement in in-school-suspension for having a haircut that was too short; something the school says was both a violation of the school dress-code and a distraction.

Derek's mother, Amanda, says she met with Bailey Middle School Principal Dr. Julia Fletcher, and Dr. Fletcher told her that the issue was "not worth the fight".

Leaders of Austin's NAACP are convinced the suspension of Derek Jackson is racially motivated. Nelson Linder with the NAACP says there's no other reason he can think of why a 7th grader would get in-school suspension for having hair that's too short.

"We think that Derek is just a metaphor for how people are treated," he said. "For whatever reason, African-Americans are put under very high scrutiny...gang issues, all kind of what I call 'racist projections'. So I think when a black kid has a haircut that they might think is inappropriate, you're seeing phobias from people.

Linder has sent a letter to AISD announcing that the NAACP is conducting its own investigation into the incident. Linder is also calling on AISD officials to change what he says is unfair treatment for African-Americans.

"Number one, revoke the suspension for this kid and apologize to the family. Number two, hire people in the district who respect black people and who understand them has human beings," he said.

Jackson's mother, Amanda, tells KLBJ that her son was given in-school suspension for violating a portion of the district's dress code prohibiting hair styles that are "disruptive". She says her son has had other run-ins with the school's principal.

Now, if he had dreads or a gigantic 'fro, he'd be getting sent suspended for that, right? Sometimes I feel that you really cannot win. I suppose they just don't want black boys to have heads at all - which would mean no faces. This is just frickin' ridiculous!

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Thank God For Costco Gas

It is a crying shame when I am happy to pay $3.33 for regular gas at Costo because everyplace else it is 15-20 cents higher. This really bites!

For the third consecutive week, gasoline prices were up, increasing 4.9 cents to 310.3 cents per gallon as of May 14, 2007. Prices are 15.6 cents per gallon higher than this time last year and have now reached an all-time nominal high. All regions reported price increases.

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News Flash: Anne Heche Is Delusional

Okay, I don't get this. Most people who go around calling themselves aliens and who have alternate personalities named Celestia are written off as a little odd. I'm not saying her story isn't true because you just never know. But, it would seem to me that if someone had a background like this, you might not want to marry and have a child with her. Now her husband has a light bulb moment and decides that she's delusional.

Anne Heche's soon-to-be-ex-hubby claims that he's worried the actress isn't psychologically capable of caring for their son, and says she refuses to see a shrink!

In court papers filed earlier this month in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Coley Laffoon is asking a judge for joint custody of the couple's 5-year-old son Homer, but claims that Anne's "bizarre and delusional behavior" and "poor parenting skills" could be a problem. In the papers, Laffoon claims that Anne once didn't put Homer in a car seat, she often cusses in front of the child, and packed school lunches that Homer "did not like." Laffoon added that his prior experience as a nanny and a summer camp counselor justify giving him joint custody.

Gee! I wonder what clued him in and why he didn't figure this out before he started dating her. Hadn't he heard?

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Oh, And I'm Not A Muslim

So, I get my first moving violation ever in life this morning. I'm getting off the highway, follow another car through a light that turns yellow in the process and the next thing I know a cop, whom I saw in at the stop light for the cross traffic, rolling up behind me. So I pull over and he yells over the loud speaker for me to go around the corner and pull over. So I pull into the parking lot in the drive way right around the corner (there isn't really anywhere on the side of the street). It's some Hispanic dude with Gutierrez on his tag. I open my car door and he jumps back shouting "JUST STAY IN THE CAR MA'AM". I look at him and almost laugh and say "okay" (as in chill, dude)! So then he proceeds to tell me that I ran a red light. I tell him that I did no such thing because it turned yellow after I started my turn. He proceeds to tell me about some two second rule he has which means absolutely jack shit to me because the light MAY have turned red after I was already through it but it was not red when I started out nor when I finished my turn. Anyhow, I had all of my stuff handy and give it to him. He writes the citation and I tell him I will be showing up in court to fight it.

I must say that this morning, since I wet my dreads in the shower (which is normal), I decided to wear one of my crocheted kufis to cover the top part of my head until I got to work. It is a nice, vibrant pink. So, as I am writing his name down in my little notebook, I tell him "Oh, and I am not a Muslim, despite this little hat." He looked at me kinda crazy and as he walked away I stated, quite loudly "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

It would be different if I'd had my share of tickets. I've only been stopped in my 27 years of driving because I had out of state plates (when I first moved to Cali and hadn't registered yet) and because of expired stickers (because I owed 6 dollars that I forgot to mail in ... and I know white folks who drive for YEARS with out of state plates and expired tags) and each of those two times the judge laughed me out of court and told me to have a nice day because he didn't know why I was there. I never paid a dime.

So, I WILL be showing up to court to face Mr. Gutierrez - badge number 17906 - of the California Highway Patrol. Freak!

Other than that, I plan on having a great day!

Somebody Trying To Help Ike

I didn't even get a chance to post about his arrest but it turns out it was unwarranted.

In a strange twist of fate, Ike Turner is finally going to be the one hearing the words, "Sorry baby."

TMZ has learned that the 75-year-old music legend was arrested last night in Los Angeles on a narcotic-related warrant that was issued and recalled in 1989! Four months after the warrant was originally issued for his arrest, a judge officially recalled it, but nobody ever passed the news onto the guy that was supposed clear it from the computer system. WHOOPS! As TMZ reported earlier, Ike was cuffed and jailed during a routine traffic stop, when cops ran his name through the system.

I guess that's good ...

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Falwell Is Not Great

In many cynical little ways, I agree with the premise of Christopher Hitchens book: God Is Not Great. I probably share many of the reasons he has for being anti-religion. So, it is no surprise that he'd be one of the first to speak ill of the dead Jerry Falwell. I've still been waiting for his body to cool off a little before chiming in so I'll just let others do the talking. This is funny and on point.

HITCHENS: The empty life of this ugly little charlatan proves only one thing: that you can get away with the most extraordinary offenses to morality and to truth in this country if you will just get yourself called Reverend.

Who would, even at your network, have invited on such a little toad to tell us that the attacks of September the 11th were the result of our sinfulness and were God's punishment if they hadn't got some kind of clerical qualification?

People like that should be out in the street, shouting and hollering with a cardboard sign and selling pencils from a cup.

Well? Let the church say Amen!

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Good Riddance

I was just listening to NPR and we all know that part of this has to do with Wolfowitz just being arrogant and skeevy along with him being a key player in the global fiasco we call Iraq. I don't care how or why they get him to resign from this job that he never deserved. I just want him gone!

World Bank officials say the bank's board is completing an "exit strategy" that will allow World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz to resign this afternoon and "still save some face" over the issue of his efforts to seek a promotion and pay raise for his girlfriend at the bank.

The officials say the bank's board will accept Wolfowitz's resignation but will also acknowledge that the World Bank's Ethics Committee bears "some responsibility" for giving him bad advice on the issue of his girlfriend.

The decision is likely today, officials say, because Wolfowitz had been scheduled to leave tonight for a European trip.

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Yolanda King Dead!

Much too young!

he King Center in Atlanta - set up to preserve the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King - says his oldest child, Yolanda Denise King, has died.

Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center, says Yolanda King, who was 51, died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, California.

A spokesman for the King Center says the family does not know the cause of death but suspects it might have been a heart problem.

Can You Believe This?

I guess the likes of Jerry Falwell were running this hospital.

Navy veteran David Miller said that when he checked into the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City, he didn't realize he would get a hard sell for Christian fundamentalism along with treatment for his kidney stones.

Miller, 46, an Orthodox Jew, said he was repeatedly proselytized by hospital chaplains and staff in attempts to convert him to Christianity during three hospitalizations over the past two years.

He said he went hungry each time because the hospital wouldn't serve him kosher food, and the staff refused to contact his rabbi, who could have brought him something to eat.[..]

He described the Iowa City facility as an institution permeated by government sponsorship of fundamentalist Christianity and unconstitutional discrimination against Jews.[..]

The hospital's chaplains and staff, Miller said, have the attitude that you either accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior and you are saved, or you are damned.

He said he has tried to resolve the problems with the hospital's administration without success.

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Blank Stare, Crickets Chirping ...

No he didn't!

In what could be a congressional first, U.S. Rep. Ric Keller of Orlando quoted early hip-hop star LL Cool J on the House floor to prove he was a longstanding supporter of a police funding measure.

“Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years,” said the conservative Republican lawmaker, citing the classic hit “Mama Said Knock You Out” from the early 1990s album of the same name.

Of course, he's no where near as cool as LL.

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Uh Oh!

Now you know my first thought wasn't a Christian one but since I have free will, I will opt to send a sincere prayer up for his recovery.

The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in "gravely serious" condition after being found unconscious in his office Tuesday, a Liberty University executive said.

Ron Godwin, the executive vice president of Falwell's Liberty University, said Falwell was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but "he has a history of heart challenges."

"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine and they found him unresponsive."

Godwin said Falwell was receiving emergency care. A hospital spokeswoman said she had "no information to release at this time" on Falwell

Falwell, a television evangelist who founded the Moral Majority, became the face of the religious right in the 1980s. He later founded the conservative Liberty University and serves as its president.

Falwell survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest.

Update: He's gone!

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US Military Says "Stop Snitching"

Well, I'm certainly beating this dead horse again but the examples just seem to be never ending. I guess the new motto is "what happens in Iraq, stays in Iraq.

The US military is to block troops from using YouTube and MySpace and 11 other popular websites for sharing photos, video clips and messages.

The decision could stop thousands of soldiers from communicating with friends and loved ones.

For many US soldiers serving overseas YouTube and other similar websites are a popular way of keeping in touch.

But according to US reports, the Pentagon has decided to block access to such sites for technical reasons.


It says accessing and sending video across the internet takes up a lot of bandwidth and slows down the military's computer system.

And not surprisingly perhaps, there are also security concerns.

The block on accessing such websites will not affect those soldiers with their own personal computers - though of course they are few and far between in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is a certain irony to the Pentagon's reported decision.

It only recently started posting its own videos on YouTube showing soldiers in action in Iraq in a move designed to reach out to a younger audience and to show the successes of the US military.

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This Psycho Is Still On The Loose

This fetus freak is still on the loose in a manner of speaking. But people get their panties in a bunch when anyone suggests that these "Christian" extremists are not much different than Muslim extremists.

Victims of Eric Rudolph, the anti-abortion extremist who pulled off a series of bombings across the South, say he is taunting them from deep within the nation's most secure federal prison, and authorities say there is little they can do to stop him.

Rudolph, who was captured after a five-year manhunt and pleaded guilty in deadly bombings at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and a Birmingham abortion clinic, is serving life in prison at the "Supermax" penitentiary in Florence, Colo.

Housed in the most secure part of the prison, he has no computer and little contact with the outside world aside from writing letters.

But Rudolph's long essays have been posted on the Internet by a supporter who maintains an Army of God Web site. The Army of God is the same loose-knit group that Rudolph claimed to represent in letters sent after the blasts.

In one piece, Rudolph seeks to justify violence against abortion clinics by arguing that Jesus would condone "militant action in defense of the innocent."

If you maim, kill and taunt in the name of the Lord, you are an extremist and a nutcase!

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As If I Needed Another Reason

It's not like I needed another reason to dislike Bishop Eddie Long who just seems like a total slime ball to me. Now we find this man is surfing up sermons on sermons.com? He's a charlatan I tell ya!

Two days after the Virginia Tech shooting, Bishop Eddie Long walked before the congregation of his Lithonia megachurch and said the Holy Spirit had a message for them.

The senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church preached a sermon he called "Act of Man or Act of God?" He talked about a "misguided, twisted" student who murdered 32 people before killing himself. He invoked the book of Job and punctuated his delivery with dramatic sighs and anguished grunts. The congregation was shouting by sermon's end.

Few, if any, knew the inspiration for Long's sermon wasn't confined to the Holy Spirit. It also came from sermons.com, a preaching Web site that offers pastors prepackaged sermons for a fee. Long's words matched large portions of a Virginia Tech sermon with a similar title ("Acts of Man and Acts of God") posted on the site. A Google search revealed that at least three other pastors — including one in Alpharetta — had preached long passages from the Internet sermon.

Parishioners who dwell on the meaning of their pastor's words now face the question: Is the sermon an act of man or an act of the Internet? Sermon borrowing — called "pulpit plagiarism" by critics — is spreading among the nation's clergy.

I think I need a new career. I can surf and spout too!

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Building Walls Instead of Bridges

What is this? Israel? What are we doing building walls in Iraq when we are supposed to be building bridges to peace?

Iraq's parliament objected Saturday to the construction of walls around Baghdad neighborhoods and called on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to testify about other security issues.

Construction of the walls - particularly in the Baghdad neighborhood of Azamiyah - has been criticized by residents and Sunni clerics who say it is a form of sectarian discrimination. Even followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr complained, fearing their strongholds in the capital will soon be split by the barriers.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have defended the construction of the barriers, which began last month, as a temporary measure to protect the neighborhood during the 12-week-old security crackdown in Baghdad. When the wall is finished, Azamiyah will be gated and checkpoints manned by Iraqi soldiers will be the only entries, the U.S. military said, stressing that the decision was made in coordination with the Iraqis.

Which Iraqis decided upon this if the Parliament and the locals are against this?

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Where's The Oil?

Divvying Iraq's oil industry up amongst American an British companies was one of our primary reasons for invading the place and you mean to tell me that we don't even have that locked down?

Between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq’s declared oil production over the past four years is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling, according to a draft American government report.

Using an average of $50 a barrel, the report said the discrepancy was valued at $5 million to $15 million daily.

The report does not give a final conclusion on what happened to the missing fraction of the roughly two million barrels pumped by Iraq each day, but the findings are sure to reinforce longstanding suspicions that smugglers, insurgents and corrupt officials control significant parts of the country’s oil industry.

The report also covered alternative explanations for the billions of dollars worth of discrepancies, including the possibility that Iraq has been consistently overstating its oil production.

Iraq and the State Department, which reports the numbers, have been under relentless pressure to show tangible progress in Iraq by raising production levels, which have languished well below the United States goal of three million barrels a day. Virtually the entire economy of Iraq is dependent on oil revenues.

This is why we are still there! They claim we didn't go there for the oil but, best believe, no matter how many soldiers and Iraqis die, we will not be leaving until we secure and control every aspect of oil production in that country. Believe it!

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Slave Labor In Iraq

It's bad enough that so many Iraqi's are unemployed and poor since our invasion. But then to have the audacity to bring in poor and destitute migrant workers from other countries specifically to exploit and mistreat them is unconscionable. Is there any part of this war occupation that is right?

As waves of Iraqis flee their conflicted country, other desperate civilians are going in.

Migrant workers from some of the world's poorest countries are being lured by the prospect of inflated salaries in construction or security companies. Some enter despite explicit bans in their own governments; others think they are going to work in safe countries.

But instead of the conventional jobs that were promised, traffickers are hustling them into hardship conditions with little pay and no mobility, according to groups that work with migrants and small numbers of migrants themselves who have managed to ask for help. Some of them are being sent home to such places as Sri Lanka, Ethiopia and the Philippines.

It is the latest twist in a migration pattern that is creating extreme circumstances for vulnerable people who go abroad in quest of work.

In two months, the International Organization of Migration, an intergovernmental agency based in Geneva, said it has repatriated a total of 30 Sri Lankan carpenters brought from the Dubai airport to Iraq. Another 20 have come forward since then to ask for help.

"The Sri Lankans are the first concrete caseload we have been dealing with," said Vincent Houver, responsible for the agency's evacuation of third world nationals from Iraq. They are "the first visible and concrete sign that there is cause for concern."

Another group - five to six Ethiopian maids who had expected to work in Jordan - had been taken into Iraq against their will, Houver said. Some are being kept in Erbil, in the Kurdish north of Iraq, and the others in Baghdad, he said, and they are being prevented from leaving.

We aren't now and never have been out to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and now we are importing people to treat even worse.

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Don't I Wish!

Talk about a jaw dropper! I would love it!

Following up on this post, it did happen. Here's a screen grab from CNN International around midnight ET:

This appeared on screen for 12 seconds. (Two seconds before, President Bush had appeared on screen, but the chyron accurately said "Pressure over Iraq.")

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Like I Said ...

Whether Al Sharpton meant exactly what he said or not, a whole lot of people believe it!

While some evangelical Christians are defending the presidential candidacy of Mormon Mitt Romney from an attack by Al Sharpton, another prominent pastor is going further in his condemnation – saying a vote for the former Massachusetts governor is a vote for Satan.

That's the word from Bill Keller, host of the Florida-based Live Prayer TV program as well as LivePrayer.com.

"If you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan!" he writes in his daily devotional to be sent out to 2.4 million e-mail subscribers tomorrow.

Sharpton, the Democratic Party activist and former presidential candidate, has been widely condemned for singling out Romney's faith as an issue in the campaign.

"As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation," he said.

Keller also comes out swinging against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a cult.

"This message today is not about Mitt Romney," he writes. "Romney is an unashamed and proud member of the Mormon cult founded by a murdering polygamist pedophile named Joseph Smith nearly 200 years ago. The teachings of the Mormon cult are doctrinally and theologically in complete opposition to the Absolute Truth of God's Word. There is no common ground. If Mormonism is true, then the Christian faith is a complete lie. There has never been any question from the moment Smith's cult began that it was a work of Satan and those who follow their false teachings will die and spend eternity in hell."

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Oh Hayle No!

I never had a problem with Rosie O'Donnell on The View but knew she wouldn't be there for the long haul. Rumors of replacements abound and while I like the idea of someone like Whoopi Goldberg, I don't think I could stand someone like Roseann Barr (she's loud like Rosie but not as informed on issues). But now shrill ass Nancy Grace's name is being floated around and if that is the case, I'll take Roseanne!

"Heaven help us! Mouthy Nancy Grace reportedly wants to replace Rosie O'Donnell on The View."

Well that would explain the departure from Court TV...

Heaven help us is right! Lord, please don't!

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This "No Snitching" Is Out Of Control

Somebody else saying shut yer pie hole!

Gov. Perdue to Iraq critics: ‘Keep your mouth shut.’

This morning, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) was a guest on the radio show of former Education Secretary Bill Bennett on WKGA in Atlanta. He lashed out at the Republicans who have been criticizing President Bush on the Iraq war, stating that “until you’ve got a better idea, keep your mouth shut.” He added, “The president did not choose war. The president chose to protect the United States of America, and he did.” (Listen to the audio HERE.) 

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Wow! Trent Lott Says "No Snitching!"

More proof that it's not just a ghetto, Hip-Hop kind of thing!

Desperate to cover-up the increasing conservative divisions over Iraq, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS) today blasted the Republicans who spoke to the media about their meeting on Tuesday with President Bush.

During a CNN appearance today, Lott said that he was “concerned” that the Republicans “had this frank discussion with the president, which could have been very positive, and then they came out and started talking about it.”

“[T]hey broke one of the cardinal rules, in my opinion,” Lott said. “If they’d have kept their mouths shut, their value of speaking candidly would have been worth a lot more.”

I hate to keep harping on this but since 60 minutes and CNN felt the need to put that ignorant Cam'ron on blast for the whole world to hear and judge, I just think we ought to see that the same concept holds true in many other elements of society.

Update: Seems Rove and Cheney are pissed about the "snitching" too:
Rove's anger popped up in today's Washington Post:

White House political adviser Karl Rove, furious that Republican moderates had divulged a confrontational meeting they had on Tuesday with Bush on the war, started yesterday with an angry conversation with the meeting's organizer, Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.), according to several GOP lawmakers. Dan Meyer, the White House's chief lobbyist, called the other participants to express the administration's unhappiness.

Cheney's was broadcast on the GOP channel and picked up by the NY Times:

Some White House officials privately expressed displeasure Thursday that the concerns the Republican moderates raised with the president became public. Vice President Dick Cheney did not mince words in an interview with the Fox News Channel. “We didn’t get elected to be popular,” Mr. Cheney said. “We didn’t get elected to worry just about the fate of the Republican Party.”

Hoo Boy Is Right!

We know that mass media takes a sound byte and runs with it no matter what the context of a statement is. So, upon hearing a clip of Al Sharpton's statement about Mitt Romney, I just put my hand on my forehead and sighed
hoo boy!

"As for the one Mormon running for office, those that really believe in God will defeat him anyways. So, don't worry about that, that's a temporary situation." -- Al Sharpton

Hoo boy. Here we go. But what the heck is that supposed to mean anyway?

It's not as if Sharpton is anybody's Sister Souljah but he's about to get his head handed to him one way or another. Still, I don't see what difference it makes. It's an opportunity for Romney to make a defensive fool out of himself because up until this point he's been Mr. Gameshow Host, the Stepford candidate. But it does perhaps once and for all bring the Mormon question out of the closet.  Hugh Hewitt will be on fire, I suspect.

Still, it's Sharpton. What are you going to do? Moreover what should you do?

But, before I jump on any bandwagons, let's remember some things:

• Al was in some odd debate with the ever drunk (or drunk looking) Christopher Hitchens over his new book, "God Is Not Great." I didn't hear the whole conversation but if you are talking about Mitt Romney with a man who is an avowed atheist, I can see how you could basically try to end the conversation by saying something like "atheists aside, those who aren't atheists aren't going to vote for "the Mormon" anyway." That is what I think Sharpton meant. Now whether he meant that they wouldn't vote for him because he is a Mormon or because he is a dud who happens to be a Mormon, I don't know. But that is what I think he meant despite how the sound byte was played.
  
  
• Even if Al was taking a swipe at Romney because he is a Mormon, all of these right wing pundits who are flying off after Sharpton like bats out of hell know damned well they are glad Sharpton said it so they don't have to. You know these bible thumping Baptists (or whack job denominations that are spawns of them) are not going to support a Mormon because all too many of them still don't even believe Catholics are really Christian (they only pretend to accept Catholics when it comes to fetus and gay issues). So all those folks need to thank Al for expressing something that was really in their bigoted minds.
  
  
• As a black man, is Al not correct that he should have no love lost for the Mormons who only recently decided that black people were full human beings (it's odd how attitudes about race change when the coffers start getting low and breeding is getting sparse)? Maybe this is a good thing so inquiring minds can start to ask Mitt what he believes and what being a Mormon is to him. Massachusetts, a liberal state, elected him but he used to have some pretty liberal views prior to his attempt to dance with the likes of James Dobson and Pat Robertson. He needs to explain how his faith views race and he needs to explain how some of his views are now the polar opposite of what they were when he ran for Governor of Massachusetts.
  

Al Sharpton probably is quite right. Those who voted for Bush because he said he believed in God probably would not vote for Mitt Romney - a Mormon - simply because he is a Mormon. Though everyone would like to think so, America will probably elect a woman or a black man. Despite all the talk on God and faith, it seems too many would rather vote for a thrice married, brazen adulterer who has shown, on more than one occasion, to have a penchant for cross dressing. Funny how family values also fly out of the window when the alternate choices are those who still don't have full status in this country.

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Speaking of 50 Cent

What is up with him and these old broads?

Gangster rap star 50 Cent is back to his toyboy ways, if rumours are to be believed linking him with US soap star Victoria Rowell.

According to In Touch Weekly the 31-year old rapper met the 46-year old actress on the set of military drama Home Of The Brave.

A friend told the publication: "Victoria loves the edge that 50 Cent has."

It's not the first time 50 Cent has dated an older woman - he previously went out with Kill Bill actress Vivica A Fox, who is 42.

I'm an old broad myself but simply cannot fathom the appeal of Curtis James Jackson (and before gutter minds go there, I can't get past the 9 bullet wounds so I'd never find out if he had "whip appeal" or not).

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Memo To 50: Lay Down Your Cross

Here's the thing about America: you can buy what you want and wear what you want. I guess I never knew that "Christians" spent so much time assessing the wardrobes of people like 50 Cent.

"The Resistance, a nationwide Christian organization focused on preserving Christian values in the media, is taking issue with 50 Cent for wearing the large cross as a fashion statement.
For the organization's founder Mark Dice, the cross contradicts what the rapper is saying in his music.

“50 Cent is no Christian, and if you listen to his lyrics it becomes clear that he is more of a Satanist than anything” said Dice, who offered what he feels is a better choice for 50 to wear.

“He is defaming the cross and committing blasphemy by wearing it while he raps about killing people for no reason because he’s a big bad ‘gangster.’ I think a large diamond studded platinum satanic pentagram would be a little more fitting for him” Dice said.

I just know there are some hungry and naked people out there who need food and clothing. Why can't groups like this invest time in causes like that.

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So Rush Was Misled?

I guess this means his fat behind doesn't have to take responsibility for becoming an addict ...

The maker of the powerful painkiller OxyContin and three of its current and former executives pleaded guilty Thursday to misleading the public about the drug's risk of addiction, a federal prosecutor and the company said.

Purdue Pharma L.P., its president, top lawyer and former chief medical officer will pay $634.5 million in fines for claiming the drug was less addictive and less subject to abuse than other pain medications, U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said in a news release.

The plea agreement comes two days after the Stamford, Conn.-based company agreed to pay $19.5 million to 26 states and the District of Columbia to settle complaints that it encouraged physicians to overprescribe OxyContin.

"With its OxyContin, Purdue unleashed a highly abusable, addictive, and potentially dangerous drug on an unsuspecting and unknowing public," Brownlee said. "For these misrepresentations and crimes, Purdue and its executives have been brought to justice."

Purdue learned from focus groups with physicians in 1995 that doctors were worried about the abuse potential of OxyContin. The company then gave false information to its sales representatives that the drug had less potential for addiction and abuse than other painkillers, the U.S. attorney said.

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I'm A Little Bit Country ...

I'm going to come clean. When I was a kid, we used to buy giant pickles and stick peppermint sticks in center of them. That was a staple at the local, black owned, mom and pop stores in my neighborhood. Though in Chicago, those folks were straight up from places like Mississippi. Though I find this nauseating, I guess it's just the evolution of an old idea!

A GALLON jar of pickles sits near the register at Lee’s Washerette and Food Market, a mustard-colored cinder-block bunker on the western fringe of this Mississippi Delta town.

Those pickles were once mere dills. They were once green. Their exteriors remain pebbly, a reminder that long ago they began their lives on a farm, on the ground, as cucumbers.

But they now have an arresting color that combines green and garnet, and a bracing sour-sweet taste that they owe to a long marinade in cherry or tropical fruit or strawberry Kool-Aid.

Kool-Aid pickles violate tradition, maybe even propriety. Depending on your palate and perspective, they are either the worst thing to happen to pickles since plastic brining barrels or a brave new taste sensation to be celebrated.

The pickles have been spotted as far afield as Dallas and St. Louis, but their cult is thickest in the Delta region, among the black majority population. In the Delta, where they fetch between 50 cents and a dollar, Kool-Aid pickles have earned valued space next to such beloved snacks as pickled eggs and pigs’ feet at community fairs, convenience stores and filling stations. And as their appeal has widened, some people have seen a good business opportunity. Even the lawyers have gotten involved.

Children are the primary consumers, but a recent trip through the region revealed that the market for Kool-Aid pickles is maturing.

At Carver Upper Elementary School in Indianola, students in Jodi Sumner’s third-grade class have no reservations about the propriety of cucumbers flavored with vinegar and drink mix. When this writer, lugging a jar of tropical-fruit-flavored pickles, recently asked the 29 students who liked to eat Kool-Aid pickles, 29 hands shot up.

The names came fast: Ladarius, Fredericka and Kobreana, among others. So did the impressions: “It’s a candy pickle.” And “I like it the same as dipping hot Cheetos in ice cream.” And “Have you ever tried one with a watermelon Blow Pop?” followed by a pantomime of how the Blow Pop stick can be inserted so that the candy appears as a knob at one end of the pickle, allowing the eater to alternate between bites of sour-sweet pickle and licks of sweet-sour Blow Pop.

Nobody knows just who first decided that pickles would be improved by a bath in sugared drink mix, or when, but the invention seems to be of fairly recent provenance. Typically, Kool-Aid pickle fans were born some time after Bill Clinton moved into the White House.

Billie Williams, 56, a special-education teacher at Carver Elementary, never saw one when she was a child. But she did eat dill pickles impaled on peppermint sticks, and she remembers how friends sucked the juice from cut lemons through peppermint sticks repurposed as straws. “That’s the same kind of taste,” she said. “Same as how they used to dip pickle spears in dry Kool-Aid mix for that pucker.”

The school sells Kool-Aid pickles from the popular red flavor family at its fund-raisers. “They’re easy to make a gallon,” Ms. Williams said. “You pull the pickles from the jar, cut them in halves, make double-strength Kool-Aid, add a pound of sugar, shake and let it sit — best in the refrigerator — for about a week. The taste takes to anything. A while back I made a mistake and bought a jar of pickle chips instead of halves or wholes. Came out fine. This whole Kool-Aid pickle thing is going so good, you wonder why somebody hasn’t put a patent on them.”

No patent application has been filed, but the name Kool-Aid is a trademark owned by Kraft Foods. Upon learning of the pickles, Bridget MacConnell, a senior manager of corporate affairs at Kraft, recovered, and then pronounced, “We endorse our consumers’ finding innovative ways to use our products.”

Most of the children at Carver — perhaps most of the children in the Delta — buy their Kool-Aid pickles from unlicensed house stores, operated by neighborhood elders who, seated at their kitchen tables, sell snacks and chips and candy to anyone who comes knocking. (If these folks sold whiskey instead of pickles, their enterprises would be known as shot houses.) Ms. Sumner’s students praised in particular “the lady on Quick Circle whose dogs bark when you walk up” and “the woman who stays on Slim Street who sells nachos, too.”

At the Stephensville Mini-Mart, set amid the cotton fields and catfish ponds between Shaw and Indianola, the owner, Hugh Davis, began stocking Kool-Aid pickles earlier this year at the behest of local children. “They’re not for me,” said Mr. Davis, 66. “It’s the kids who’ve done it. They’ll create a line of food for you; they’ll dab a little something here and there and make it their own. They’re good at inventing.”

Recently, some Delta grocers began selling jars of ready-made pickles. And entrepreneurs are emerging. At Lambard’s Wholesale Meats in Cleveland, Allen Williams sells plastic gallon jugs of Best Maid dills, plastered with the Kool-Aid packs that denote the flavor within. (Mr. Williams declined to reveal who actually makes his Kool-Aid pickles.)

Across town at Eastend Grocery, Beverly and Claud Boddie stand behind their products. They have honed proprietary recipes for green and red flavors that involve piercing the pickles with a fork and stirring together multiple Kool-Aid flavors to achieve maximum pucker. Ms. Boddie, 37, wants to apply for a trademark as “soon as I can raise some money and settle on a name.”

She’d better get a move on. Double Quick, the Indianola-based chain of more than 30 Delta convenience stores (famous in some circles for a singing group, the Double Quick Gospel Choir, composed of store managers and supervisors), has begun pursuing a trademark for Koolickle, a name coined by Rick Beuning, its director of food service. “I’m a white boy from the Midwest,” said Mr. Beuning, 53. “This isn’t my food, but I know a good product when I see one.”

Ms. Boddie better watch out! You know we can't have nuthin' before some white man who isn't in it or of it steals it! LOL!

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Somebody Tell Obama "No Snitching!"

They will have to come up with something better than this to declare Barack Obama non-presidential. This is supposed to be a big faux pas?

It’s a hard life for a young senator, trying to learn the unspoken rules of Washington in those rocky early days.

Take this week’s experience of Sen. Barack Obama, freshman lawmaker and presidential candidate.

He was visiting Iowa a few days ago, where his stump speech included a call for withdrawal from Iraq. At one of his campaign events on Sunday, Obama took a little swipe at Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), which he may have thought was polite because he never actually said the man’s name.

According to local press accounts, Obama said Democratic leaders would force House and Senate members to take vote after vote until they overcome Bush’s opposition to the withdrawal measure – noting that he wouldn’t name names but that there was at least one senator in Iowa who could help out.

Well, there’s only one senator he could have been talking about, and that guy thought Obama transgressed the gentlemen’s rules of the Senate.

“Let’s say pretty much that it’s not senatorial,” a miffed Grassley said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “And if you can’t be senatorial, how can you be presidential? In other words, I’m saying it from the standpoint that, generally, when you’re in another state, you don’t take pokes at a fellow senator.”

Oh, boo frickin' hoo! How is telling people - who came to see you - to take action in their state considered a swipe? That kind of mindset has a "no snitching" funk to it. Is there "no snitching" in the Senate too?

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And Still They Die

Eight at a time ...

The guerrillas in Iraq killed 8 US troops on Sunday, including 6 blown up by a roadside bomb along with an embedded European journalist. We are not far into May and already 28 US troops have been killed this month, 12 of them over the weekend.

Don't Call It A Comeback

Call it a resurgence (after not much of a break) of hate with a vengeance.

The roiling American border debate over immigration has revived one of the ugliest chapters in American history and become a vital recruiting tool for hate groups, experts say.

The number of hate groups -- from the Ku Klux Klan to neo-Nazis and skinhead groups -- has risen by 40 percent since 2000, from 602 to 844, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks such groups.

And they've turned their jaundiced eye toward Latin Americans, particularly Mexicans, in an alarming number of apparent hate crimes.

Take David Ritcheson, 16, a Mexican-American football star born in Houston. He was beaten nearly to death by two skinheads at a teen party. They poured bleach on him and beat him mercilessly. Ritcheson was in a coma for days, and suffered massive internal injuries, internal bleeding and a shattered cheekbone. He is now deaf in one ear.

"I just didn't expect my race to become a situation," Ritcheson told ABC News senior Law & Justice correspondent Jim Avila.

Ritcheson testified before a congressional committee last month about the need for stronger hate crime legislation.

"I don't think there's any question at all that hate crimes against Hispanics and anyone really perceived to be an immigrant are very much on the rise," said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The fear is real -- an undercover video taken by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and obtained exclusively by the ABC News, shows a klansman building a pipe bomb.

"All you've got to do is put the insides in and the powder," klansman Daniel Schertz can be heard telling an undercover agent. Schertz was later arrested for selling five pipe bombs that agents watched him make. He allegedly told an agent that he hoped the bombs would be used to blow up a bus full of Latinos. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

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Jeebus! Stay Home And Drink Folgers

Since I usually get iced tea or double espresso over ice at Starbucks, I haven't had a hot cup to read and notice the quotes. Heck, I'd never even looked at the picture of the lady on the logo before someone had something to say about that a few years ago. Now folks are complaining about the quotes on the cups ... saying they are too liberal! What the heck does that mean? Starbucks is not a religious institution. Can people get lives?

Starbucks says it was hoping to inspire old-fashioned coffee-house conversations when it introduced a campaign this year featuring the words of notable Americans on its coffee cups.

But at least a few of those words are sparking more discord than discussion.

A national Christian women's organization is accusing the Seattle-based coffee maker of promoting a homosexual agenda because of a quote by author Armistead Maupin, whose "Tales of the City" chronicled San Francisco's homosexual community in the 1970s and 1980s.

Maupin's quote — one of several dozen in "The Way I See It" promotion — says his only regret about being gay is that he repressed it for so long.

"I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short."

Concerned Women for America, which promotes itself as the antithesis of the National Organization for Women and boasts 8,700 supporters in Washington, says most of those quoted on the coffee cups are liberal.

Why are these good, Christian women doing in Starbucks anyway? Shouldn't they be at home, watching a passel of babies making coffee in a percolator?

Update: If they really need to see bible quotes on cups and wrappers, they need to go clog their arteries at In and Out Burger (Again, I'm not that observant and never noticed the scripture references on the bottom of the cups or on the wrappers).

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So What's Your Point, Pat?

Whenever Pat Buchanan starts talking about "colored" people, I remember why I could barely stand hearing him. He and I agree on the incompetence of Bush and the failure of Bush's foreign policy but when that topic dies down, he's back to his old ways. I guess he's saying what a great place America (and Great Britain) would be if they weren't so diverse.

But are we better societies now than 50 years ago?

The latest reminder of diversity in Virginia was the massacre of 32 students and teachers at Virginia Tech by a berserk Korean. And now that London is Londonistan, Muslim imams openly preach hatred of the West in mosques. Pakistani subway bombers find support in their community. Race riots are common in the northern industrial cities. Crime rates have soared. In areas of London, people fear to walk. Is this better than it was in 1957?

Last week, Scottish nationalists, many of whom wish to secede, swept past Labor to become the first party of Scotland. Welsh separatists also made gains. Following the Irish, the other Celts want out of the England of Elizabeth II. Is this better, Your Majesty?

The Great Britain of Tony Blair may be more diverse than the land of Victoria and Edward VII, Lloyd George and Winston Churchill -- but is it a better nation?

Only if one worships diversity can one say Britain is a better, stronger or greater country than she was on the eve of the Great War, a century ago, when Britannia ruled a fourth of the world.

But the new orthodoxy demands we say this. And Her Majesty was careful to conform. "Fifty years on, we are now in a position to reflect more candidly on the Jamestown legacy," said the queen, as she began to reflect less candidly.

At Jamestown, "Three great civilizations came together for the first time -- Western European, native American and African."

Well, that is one way to put it. Except that the Jamestown settlers were not Western Europeans but English Christians.

So, again I ask, what's your point Pat? America and other European nations are now more 'diverse' because "English Christians" and those who sought to emulate them sought "diversity" for what it could provide as far as mule, cheap or free labor. Once they finished using these people were they just supposed to disappear? I always have a hard time keeping a straight face when Irish Americans talk like this. Their Catholic counterparts in their native land still aren't faring much better than the diverse elements here in America. Thank God America gave them someplace to come to be more than the marginalized, low end peons they were in Ireland.

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Haters Hate Paris

I am soooo not on the lynch Paris Hilton bandwagon like so many other people seem to be. You'd think the chick was a hard core criminal the way people are writhing for justice in her case. What's funny is that I never see folks getting this worked up over issues of justice that really impact their lives. Why so happy over this? I doubt she'll get a pardon from the Governator but I really don't see the point in jail time over driving on a suspended license.

Paris Hilton is now part of a grass-roots campaign to keep her out of jail.

In a message that went up Monday on her MySpace page and reported in the New York Post, the hotel heiress writes (in her own spelling): "My friend Joshua started this petition, please help and sihn it. i LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!"

The petition, directed to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, asks that Hilton be pardoned from her sentence of 45 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation by driving with a suspended license. The punishment was handed down in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday. An appeal has been filed.

"I urge all fans and supporters and all that are outraged by injustice to sign this petition," writes Hilton.

The petition, which had more than 900 signatures by Tuesday morning, urges the California actor-turned-governor to pardon Hilton because she provides "beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives."

Meanwhile, the governor's office hasn't reviewed the petition but has received e-mails from constituents both for and against a gubernatorial pardon, Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear told the Associated Press Tuesday.

"We'll treat this as we would any other case of this nature, but it would be premature for the governor to get involved until the individual has exhausted his or her judicial remedies," McLear said.

Yeah, some folks on my yahoo groups are signing a petition to make sure she doesn't get pardoned or out of a jail sentence. I asked how many of them have signed a petition for a real issue ... or written their Congressman or Senator. If Paris does end up having to serve time, I certainly won't be letting go of any big sighs of relief in knowing that all is right with the world. This is the chick who thought Walmart sold stuff for walls for crying out loud. How small and powerless do you have to feel to feel vindication because this media made celebrity will have to hang out with some creepy people at the county jail for a spell? I'd rather invest the energy in hounding Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein not to vote to repeal the estate tax or death tax (aka the Paris Hilton tax). That will have a bigger impact on our national budget and some real bottom lines. But, I guess people have to get their gusto where they can. I just won't be doing any cheers or clanging any pots and pans outside the court house. I kinda feel sorry for the little thing. People think she is used to getting away with stuff because she is rich. But I doubt she'd be in any trouble of this nature if she weren't who she is.

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Snapper Is A Sloppy Drunk

First Alec Baldwin loses his mind and goes ballistic on his child over voice mail and now this fool gets sloppy drunk and his daughter tapes him.

"He suspended all visitation and custody until May 21," says Bach's attorney, Debra Opri, who is also asking that the judge order Hasselhoff into rehab before he can again see his daughters Hayley, 14, and Taylor Ann, 16.

It was Taylor Ann who made the widely publicized video of her father wearing only a pair of jeans, lying on the floor and eating a hamburger while appearing extremely intoxicated. Taylor's voice can be heard on the videotape telling him that if he tests positive for alcohol the following day, he could be fired from his job.

Opri says the video was filmed earlier this year – the exact date wasn't known – in Las Vegas, where Hasselhoff was starring in The Producers.

Hasselhoff attorney Melvin S. Goldsman confirmed that the judge suspended visitation pending a report from a court-appointed psychologist.

As long as this guy doesn't go on The View blaming everyone but himself (like Alec Baldwin did), hopefully he can get beyond this. For now, he cannot even see his kids.

P.S. David Hasselhoff's early days were spent playing Snapper on The Young and The Restless back in the 70s. He's still Snapper to me.

Forced To Perform

This is messed up. The latest American Idol cast off may have to perform in Iraq as part of his military obligation.

Now that "American Idol" voters have kicked U.S. Navy sailor Phil Stacey off the singing competition, is the Pentagon considering sending him to Iraq?

Navy and Pentagon officials weren't saying last week what is next for Stacey, an active duty petty officer 3rd class and a vocalist with the Navy Band Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla. During the competition, Stacey was temporarily assigned to the Los Angeles recruiting district.

Military officials were clearly pleased they had a certifiable star on active duty. Navy spokesmen said the service is discussing with Stacey his next assignment and whether he will join the other finalists on their tour this summer.

The top "Idol" finishers are generally required to tour after the television show is finished. Stacey could be allowed to participate in the tour as part of a recruiting assignment - the Navy could force him to use personal leave or they could release him from his military obligation.

There is precedent for the Navy releasing sailors from active duty obligations. David Robinson, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was allowed to enter the reserves so he could play pro basketball with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. Robinson, known as "the Admiral" despite not reaching that rank, helped lead the team to two NBA championships.

But the Navy may have more of an interest in hanging on to Stacey.

The New Republic magazine reported last month that the USO has struggled this year to recruit celebrities for entertaining its troops in Iraq. Although the USO has blamed transportation difficulties for a declining number of tours, the magazine suggested that it may be tied to the increasing unpopularity of the war.

Although the USO may have few stars willing to go to Iraq, with Stacey, the military has a singing star it can order to perform anywhere.

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Going Veto Crazy

Now that the Dems are in and there is no more rubber stamping, Dubya actually has to work. Will this be his third veto?

"I will veto any legislation that weakens current federal policies and laws on abortion, or that encourages the destruction of human life at any stage," he wrote.

Bush has already threatened to veto legislation, passed by the House and Senate in different forms this year, that would ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research. He killed a similar stem cell bill last year in the first veto of his presidency.

Reid's spokesman, Jim Manley, said that "if the president is serious about finding common ground on this divisive issue, he should support Sen. Reid's efforts to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in this country." Reid and others are sponsoring legislation that would improve family planning services, require insurance companies to pay for birth control and provide effective sex education for young people.

The letter was hailed by anti-abortion leaders such as Douglas Johnson of the
National Right to Life Committee, who said his group appreciates "that the president is drawing a bright line."

"President Bush is not the first man to occupy the Oval Office who talked about valuing preborn life, but no administration has backed up those words with as much consistent policy support as his has," said Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family Action.

On the other side, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said Bush had essentially told the new Congress "that he wants to continue denying millions of women access to essential medical services, including family planning and safe, legal abortion, even if it means jeopardizing their health."

The Lies Continue

As these warmongering losers scatter like rats!

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer interviewed former Iraq war architect Richard Perle to get his response to accusations by George Tenet that he was advocating an attack against Iraq in the days after 9/11. Perle acknowledged meeting Tenet a week after 9/11 at the White House, but claimed he never conversed with Tenet. Perle then said, “I never believed Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11.”

But CNN played a clip from 9/16/01 that showed Perle telling the network:

Even if we cannot prove to the standard that we enjoy in our own civil society they are involved, we do know, for example, that Saddam Hussein has ties to Osama bin Laden. That can be documented.

Eddie Needs To Man Up!

Unless he's claiming that he never had a physical relationship with her during their months together, he needs to stop acting like he's a teenager and take the test. He seems to be in a happy relationship with Tracey Edmonds. Why screw it up by keeping all of this tabloid drama going over a simple birds and bees issue? Certainly, she will look like the slut if there is not a DNA match. But right now he is looking like a deadbeat hood rat who won't step up to his responsibilities. He doesn't have long. His other kids look quite like him. This baby girl will start showing his features soon enough.

Scary is taking Eddie Murphy to court to force him to take a DNA test. She told People magazine,"He's not doing a DNA test and he's not signing the birth certificate. "So it's going to have to go to court so he can be forced to do it, which is strange since he was the one asking for it."

Dang Eddie! You're too old for this!

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Stop Snitching!

This time it's the military who is promoting the code of silence.

“The U.S. Army has ordered soldiers to stop posting to blogs or sending personal e-mail messages, without first clearing the content with a superior officer, Wired News has learned. The directive, issued April 19, is the sharpest restriction on troops’ online activities since the start of the Iraq war. And it could mean the end of military blogs, observers say.”

Come to think of it, Hip-Hop isn't the originator of this phenomenon either. Cops, the mob and the military close ranks and zip their lips.

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2,791 Types Of Wrong

Father forgive me for this post but I couldn't resist. You cannot say that James Brown's widow (baby mama or whatever) doesn't have a type:

The National Enquirer is reporting that Bishop Magic Don Juan escorted Tomi Rae Brown to the Pimp 'N Ho Ball in San Diego on April 14. According to an insider, Tomi carried a diamond (read: rhinestone) encrusted 'Godmother of Soul' goblet while Magic was his usual bedazzling self.

The two met while Tomi Rae was researching artists to perform on a James Brown tribute album she's producing.

2,791 types of wrong. Check out Rhymes with Snitch for more vomit inducing details on the new homance.

Christopher Hitchens Is Going To Hell

For this book:

When You Open The Door To Fools ...

... this is what you get:

Why do Mexicans use their car horns as a doorbell? Why is Mexican television so obsessed with dwarfs and transvestites? Why do they park their cars on the front lawn?

Do Mexican children get tamales at Christmas so that they have something to unwrap? What is it about the word "illegal" that Mexicans don't understand?

The chances are that you will know the answers to some of these questions if you live in the United States and read the wickedly funny "Ask a Mexican!" column syndicated in more than a score of weekly newspapers across the country.

The brainchild of a Mexican-American reporter, Gustavo Arellano, and his editor at the OC Weekly in Orange County, southern California, the column started out as a prank in 2004.

Since then it has become a sleeper hit read by more than a million people from California to New York each week. It has also spun off live radio appearances for Arellano, and is to be published as a book in May by Scribner.

The column began as a question and answer he made up asking why Mexicans call white people gringos. The answer: "Mexicans do not call gringos gringos. Only gringos call gringos gringos. Mexicans call gringos gabachos," showing white people don't even know the common Mexican slang term for themselves.

"It started off as a joke. It was supposed to be just a satirical take on xenophobia against Mexicans and it just exploded," Arellano said, recalling the letter that started the column off.

"We knew people would be outraged ... whenever you talk about immigration in the media, there is always a response. What we didn't expect was for people to send in questions," he said.

This reminds me of the "Rent-A-Negro" site. I'm still brewing my rant/post about the never ending ignorance and sense of entitlement by those who would be the majority in this country (not for long, however) but this kind of thing is a nice prelude.

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That Damn Monday Night Football!

This DC Madam thing is about to get really crunchy and I wonder how many men are crapping in their pants right now. Brian Ross of ABC has been calling the phone numbers that the madam turned over to him. Some of the results will be revealed on this Friday's episode of 20/20. It's gonna be a mess!

Even call girls get performance reviews, at least the ones who worked for Jeane Palfrey's Washington, D.C., escort service.

"Without being overtly vulgar, a pair of tits and an ass, without accompanying brains, sophistication, LOOKS and carriage, just won't cut it in this business or at least, not with this particular agency!!" wrote Palfrey in a monthly newsletter sent to the women who worked for her.

Calling herself "Miz Julia" or "the management," she regularly offered criticism, beauty advice and warnings about undercover police during the 13 years her business, Pamela Martin and Associates, was in operation.

In a January 1994 newsletter, she wrote, "Congress is back in session. This always helps to boost business."

In another edition, she complained, "That damn Monday night football...ruines [sic] business every single Monday night!"

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Tacky With A Capital TACK

I thought I'd heard it all.

Heather Vaill had 1,500 of her mother's most delectable homemade cookies set out at her wedding reception several years ago.

Even with more than 200 guests, the bride still was surprised the sweet treats went so quickly.

"I was disappointed when [a few hours into the reception] I went to get a cookie -- one stinking cookie -- and the trays held nothing but crumbs," says Ms. Vaill, 36, of Plum.

She later learned a cousin had brought Tupperware containers to the reception and absconded with a sizable amount of her wedding cookies.

"A few months later, this same tacky cousin served the cookies she stole at her mother's wedding reception!"

Now, that's tacky with a capital TACK! ...

This article has a number of examples of rude, classless, ill-bred and tacky behavior. Sometimes people just don't know any better. Sometimes they do and just don't care! I wonder if this woman could take her cousin to The People's Court to get reimbursed for the stolen cookies? I guess beating her ass would be tacky too, huh?

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But Of Course

Who is surprised about this?

The Bush administration killed a proposal to clamp down on the student loan industry six years ago following allegations that companies sought to shower universities with financial favors to help generate business, according to documents and interviews with government officials.

The proposed policy, which Education Department officials drafted near the end of the Clinton presidency and circulated at the start of the Bush administration, represented an early, significant but ultimately abortive government response to a problem that this year has grown into a major controversy.

Now, as the $85 billion-a-year student loan industry faces an array of investigations into questionable business practices that some officials believe could have been curtailed by the 2001 proposal, the Education Department has embarked on a new effort to set rules for the industry to prevent conflicts of interest and other abuses. If approved, the rules would be implemented in summer 2008, a few months before Bush leaves the White House.

The abandonment of the 2001 proposal underscores what some consumer advocates and Democratic lawmakers believe is lax federal oversight of the financial aid system by a department they say is too cozy with the industry. More than a dozen senior department officials either previously worked in the student loan business or found high-paying jobs in the sector after they left the agency.

"The Department of Education has been run as a wholly owned subsidiary of the loan industry under this administration," said Barmak Nassirian, a longtime advocate for industry reform at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. "They are running the federal loan program for the profit of their friends and not for the benefit of students and taxpayers."

Yet another set of Bush croanies raking in money, hand over fist, as hard working American citizens foot the bill ...