Please Get Well Robin

I really wanted to give The Today Show a chance when Meredith Viera joined the team but I've been watching GMA since the 70s. Over the past several years, Robin Roberts is one of the reasons why I remain loyal. I'm sorry to hear that she's been diagnosed with breast cancer but I believe she'll soon be a survivor.

ABC "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will be undergoing surgery Friday.

Roberts, 46, told viewers about her cancer on Tuesday morning's show.

"I am so blessed that I found this in the early stages and the prognosis is so promising that my doctor expects me to be flying planes and hanging on to submarines in the middle of the Atlantic and scaling the Mayan pyramids in no time," she said.

Roberts, who is co-anchor of "Good Morning America" with Diane Sawyer, said she examined herself and found a lump on her breast the same day she had done a report on former "GMA" movie critic Joel Siegel, who died of colon cancer last month. The network wouldn't say which breast was affected.

Roberts, who is single, said there is no history in her family of breast cancer.

She's been a contributor to ABC's morning program since 1995 and was the newsreader before being named in May 2005 as one of the show's anchors.

You Mean "Hang The Chinese Chick Out The Window By Her Hair" Jim Brown?

I never quite knew if that rumor was true but there seemed to be some fire behind the smoke that one time NFL star Jim Brown used to get heavy handed with the ladies ... which is why I am always surprised when I see him in articles like this as though he was a paragon of virtue. Yes, it's another commentary on the alleged dog beater, Michael Vick. Blame rap ... yada, yada ... Yawn ...

We can save the "presumption of innocence" conversation for another time. As improbable as it might sound, technically, there's a possibility that Vick actually could own a house, rent it out to his relatives and be dumb or naive enough to not know that there was a dog-fighting enterprise going on in the back yard. The U.S. Constitution provides Vick with the right and opportunity to prove that preposterous possibility to a jury of his peers. I am far more interested in how it all came apart for Vick and why it keeps coming apart for too many black athletes in America. The ultimate symbols of black athletes in our society used to be men of substance and positive image. Men with social conscience and resolve such as Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood, Jim Brown, Bill Russell and John Thompson used to be our heroes. They carried a burden and deep-rooted responsibility to portray themselves with a sense of dignity, pride and purpose. Even the cool, counter-culture rebels such as Muhammad Ali and Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood for something more meaningful than a multimillion-dollar shoe deal. But somewhere between Jackie Robinson and Michael Vick, things got all fouled up. "Street cred" became the anthem of the modern black athlete, this misguided notion that the only way to appeal to the young demographic of the sneaker-buying public was to adopt the negative attitudes of the thug life popularized by black hip-hop/gangster rappers. According to the 18-page federal indictment, Vick is accused of sponsoring the sort of gruesome dogfighting enterprise that is readily identified as a part of the dark side of that culture.

Just because there wasn't a hard beat behind these old timers doesn't mean that they didn't have some of the same misogynistic ways that are supposedly much more prevalent now ... They didn't necessarily act a fool on the court or in public but, behind the scenes, I'm sure did as much womanizing, gambling and muckraking as the newbies today.

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I Think Little Man Is A Jerk

So, I've been somewhat of a celebrity blogger for the past couple of days. I must be bored or over saturated on politics. However, even though the verbiage in this article is all kinds of wrong, I will say that from what I've seen of this show, this little man is sort of an ass! He doesn't seem all that nice and he'd work my nerves if I were married to him. Add a little booze to that and you have a DUI ...

Matthew Roloff is one of the stars of TLC's "Little People, Big World" which follows a family of little people. Well, Matthew was busted for DUI on June 19th. The 45-year-old was pulled over in Washington County after police officers saw his van swerving back and forth. After he failed a sobriety test he was taken to jail, cited and released.

Two things. First, he probably only swallowed a little bit of mouthwash. It doesn't take much.

Second, how can he past a sobriety test?! He walks with a crutch! He can't walk in a straight line, sober.

Dang! Why did this blogger have to bring the crutch into it! LOL!

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Sit Down Somewhere Rosie

I'm not one of the folks who hates Rosie O'Donnell. I agree with most of her politics but finds some of her humor to be lacking. I like Paula Abdul but can't call myself a member of her fan club either. But, I think Rosie needs to shut up about her.

After a period of relative silence, Rosie O'Donnell has come out with her blog blazing – this time focusing on Paula Abdul.

Writing in her customary haiku style on her Web site, the formidable former co-host of The View posted a lengthy message in apparent reference to Abdul's Bravo reality show Hey, Paula. O'Donnell writes, in part:

right now
paula abdul would yell action
and the result would be
what we all see

there r times
u r so broken
fragile
pain filled
love less
desperate
raw
vulnerable
so needy for love ...

hey paula
we cringe
at r selves
thru u

Yeah, Paula seems a little flighty and loopy sometimes (okay, most times) but she seems like a really sweet lady. Additionally, I'm going to give mad props to anyone who can dance like that and who has basically sacrificed her body for her craft. Like many athletes, her life's work has left her body in bad shape and she is in a lot of pain. I'd probably be a little loopy too if I were grinning and bearing it 24/7. As far as her being desperate and needy for love, who the heck made a scene and walked off of her job after realizing, on air, that Elisabeth Hasselback wasn't really her friend? That, to me, was desperate and needy because I don't need dizzy little blond girls' approval or friendship! Yes, cringe about yourself this time, Rosie and dream of being as cute and agile as Paula was and still is.

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I'm Glad She Said Something!

I don't get fans like this!

At a stop on the couple's Soul2Soul tour Saturday at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La., a female fan grabbed McGraw in the crotch area as he walked between a barricade and the stage to greet fans.

Hill was not pleased: The country star chastised the fan, and a video clip of the incident briefly hit YouTube and several other sites on Monday before being taken down.

"Somebody needs to teach you some class, my friend," she tells the fan. "You don't go grabbin' somebody else's, somebody's husband's [private parts], you understand me? That's very disrespectful."

The chick needs to be glad that Faith didn't grab her wrist and twist it off!

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Ruh Roh!

Looks like Michael Vick's buddy doesn't believe in not snitching. He believes in Negro save thyself !

A co-defendant in the federal dogfighting case against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty Monday morning.

Tony Taylor walks into the federal courthouse in Richmond, Virginia, to enter his guilty plea.

Tony Taylor has also agreed to cooperate fully with the government. He will be sentenced on December 14 and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison, fined $250,000 and put on three years supervised release, according to court documents filed Monday in Richmond.

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Bring In The Clowns ..

... Don't worry they're here ...

Lauryn Hill performed in Amsterdam, the marijuana capital of the world, last night. Is it just me, or does she look like she could be one of the characters from The Wiz. That make-up and costume combination is horrible. So disappointed, L-Boogie used to be so fly.

We all change our styles over the years but she just looks crazy!

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Grim Reaping Kitty Kat

This story is freaking everyone out. The first thing I thought was how nice it was that this intuitive cat was there to be a comfort for people about to make their transition. But some people seem to be viewing him as the kiss of death or the grim reaper.

Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

“He doesn’t make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die,” said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one,” said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses.

After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He’d sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.
Story conti

The patients may be unaware that the cat is there but I'll bet the staff certainly gets a chill each time they see that cat heading into a room for a visit.

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I Will Take A Little Time To Enjoy The View!

She was my pick!

Mark it down: Whoopi Goldberg will be named the new co-host of The View, FishbowlNY has learned. Sources close to the decision say the announcement could come in a matter of days. The move has been rumored since Rosie's departure in May, while boldfaced names from Paris to Perez have been tossed around as possible replacements. Barbara Walters told FishbowlNY recently at Michael's that a decision would be forthcoming: "We have to decide by the end of the month [July] because we're off in August, so, soon."

An ABC spokesperson tells FishbowlNY, "We adore Whoopi and enjoy having her as a guest host on the show, but no decisions have been made."

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Basically, They Murdered Him

Now, to find out why ...

Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

"The medical evidence did not match up with the, with the scenario as described," a doctor who examined Tillman's body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators.


Cpl. Pat Tillman is seen in a this 2003 file photo provided by Photography Plus. Congressional investigators told the White House on Tuesday, July 24, 2007, that they intend to question several former Bush administration officials about their knowledge of Tillman's death, escalating their inquiry into the high-profile friendly fire case. (AP Photo/Photography Plus via Williamson Stealth Media Solutions, FILE)
Cpl. Pat Tillman is seen in a this 2003 file photo provided by Photography Plus. Congressional investigators told the White House on Tuesday, July 24, 2007, that they intend to question several former Bush administration officials about their knowledge of Tillman's death, escalating their inquiry into the high-profile friendly fire case.

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Absolutely!

In the words of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

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Eddie Needs To Talk To Russell

I'm not saying that every middle aged man, particularly those who have been married and have children, should be "too old" to date but at least they should be tired of "the game." Eddie sounds like he was playing kids games with a grown woman.

ESSENCE.com: Did you ever live with him in his Beverly Hills mansion?

MEL B: No, I have property because I have to keep my child's lifestyle somewhat regular. I wasn't going to change up my lifestyle that quickly. But my daughter was being homeschooled at his house with two of his kids, so I was there most of the time.

ESSENCE.com: Really? Whose decision was it to have her homeschooled?

MEL B: Well, my daughter was getting behind in her regular schoolwork so he suggested that she be homeschooled. On his property they have a whole classroom setup. So I let her attend for about a month and when she caught up to speed with her work she went back to school.

ESSENCE.com: How did you two officially break up?

MEL B: There was no official breakup. I went to London and on my return flight I learned that he made that announcement about wanting a DNA test on that TV show. Then I saw him on the red carpet with Tracey Edmonds and that's when I knew we were over.

ESSENCE.com: Whoa, what a way to find out. What was your gut reaction?

MEL B: I laughed because that wasn't the guy that I knew who told me he wanted to have a baby and get married. I just didn't believe it. I had my lawyer send me the link for the clip of that Dutch TV show. I had to see it to believe it. When I saw it my heart dropped down to my gut. Obviously, there was something within him that I didn't know. Then I thought, If that's the kind of person that he truly is, then I'm better off by myself. I had to switch gears because I had press outside my property walking up to my front door. It was awful because I was pregnant. Eddie and I were extremely low-key; you didn't see me going anywhere with him maybe once or twice. One of the reasons I moved to this country was to avoid the limelight so I could take my kid to the park and do my grocery shopping. So to have him embarrass me worldwide and have press knocking on my door—frankly, I was pissed and I was like, "Thank you! You have now put me in a whole different lifestyle where I have to have security, move to a new house, and move my kid out of the school she attended." That was no fun.

ESSENCE.com: Did you still think it was a joke after watching the clip?

MEL B: No, it wasn't a joke because I saw the link and I heard what he said and then I saw the pic, actually I wouldn't allow myself to look at it--he was on the red carpet with another woman.

Of course this is just Mel B's side but if he came anywhere close to planning a child with her, he should have stepped up with a quickness and kept those juvenile "It ain't mine" high school stuff to himself. I totally agree with Mel's comment here:

MEL B: My thing was to look at the bigger picture: for a Black guy in 2007 to even go there. As a Black man with "X" amount of kids, you already have a horrible stigma attached to you. Do yourself a favor and be classy.

Eddie probably needs to stick with American chicks. Seems like they may expect less (though I don't think that Tracy Edmonds is one for being a trophy. She's already been married to a mogul and quickly made herself a piece of the pie).

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Totally Off Base

Wow! Let a brotha on a couple of cable news shows as the anti-Sharpton pundit after the Imus incident and all of the sudden he's the resident expert on Hip-Hop culture. He missed the boat completely on this. Dog fighting has been a sick and disgusting sport for a long, long time and there is absolutely no correlation between it and rap, prison or Hip-Hop. I am no football fan but I do know enough to know that Michael Vick is bad news at many levels. You cannot blame this madness on Hip-Hop, football, testosterone or anything else than a sick and sadistic mind.

Honestly, I don’t wish jail on the people who despise me the most. Incarceration is that dehumanizing.

So forgive me for lacking passion about the guilt, innocence and/or punishment of one-time franchise quarterback Michael Vick for his alleged involvement in a dogfighting ring. Hell — given that the state, if inclined, can make a blind witness’ vision 20/20 — I’m even willing to give Vick his presumption of innocence.

Why not? He is an American citizen, last I checked, and we don’t need to look any further than Duke lacrosse to see what can happen to a prosecutor when the media spotlight descends on a criminal case.

Nope. My desire is to see Vick evolve as a human being and for his troubles to serve as yet another wake-up call for black athletes to reject the hip-hop/prison culture that glorifies much of the negative behavior and attitude that has eroded the once-dignified and positive reputation of African-American athletes.

As much as I love dogs — and I really do have an affinity for them — this case primarily repulses me because I believe Vick got involved with breeding vicious pit bulls because rap-music culture made it the cool thing to do.

The thing that bugged me the most about this is not Michael Vick. I don't know him. What got me is that on one of my discussion lists, men - college educated, community service driven, otherwise upstanding guys - came rushing to his defense like he was being lynched.

Sorry, while I may believe that folks love to prosecute black men with a lot of money - or black men in general, Vick is sick if he is in anyway guilty of what is outlined in the indictment. I don't care how old the "sport" is, how many white folks do it or how crazy people think PETA folks are, anyone who participates in activities like this is not quite human. I ended up in a day long battle with someone because I suggested that anyone who would abuse dogs, would abuse humans. I joked with this list member that I'd probably see him on TV as someone who shot the wife, the kids and himself. I was being facetious but that sent this dude into a tirade - no matter that others had mentioned the correlation between animal abusers and serial killers.

In any case, I was rather disturbed by the lack of logic and the defense of Vick and this "sport." It was disappointing and it was sad because only one guy actually called them out as wrong. (All of the women, of course, were appalled by the responses). Look at this! ad hominem attacks with false logic, clueless comparisons to hunting and killing animals for food, race baiting and name calling ... Sheesh!

"White folks and you adapted Negroes kill me worrying bout DOG FIGHTING! What about boxing? That causes brain damage... and wrestling? and UFC? But y'all ain't squawking bout that.

If you come at me with CRUELTY to animals... I rebut with look at the street of Dc, NYC, Philly where MILLIONS of people are HOMELESS, HEALTH CARELESS, JOBLESS, and HOPELESS!!

FAWK A DOG FIGHT... ya care more bout a animal more than you care for humans?"

"You know what. I agree with you 100% and 100% more. This is nothing more than rhetoric by white folks to take down Vick. So what he fights dogs, hell so do I. I fight dogs chickens and raccoons. If you have ever been hunting and seen a raccoon fight your dogs when he has been shot then you know what I am talking about. I challenge anyone who says it is cruelty to animals to then show me that they do not eat meat, eat eggs drink milk or eat fish. I hate when people act like fish is not meat. So what two dogs fight, is that any different than two gangs fighting or two clicks fighting. I do not see PETA or anyone else going out to the Gang-members and offering them a chance at rehabilitation or saying , "it was the guys who jumped you in that made you the way you are...let's rehab you instead of putting you in jail.""

"If you live in Texas Deer hunting is a big thing here. Nobody fighting for deer rights why is that. Can somebody answer that. Cuz every white Texan does it and a lot of black ones too. Folks here kill deer, quail, possum, squirrel, rabbit. What would happen if you shoot a dog or cat? Whats the difference?"

"There are folks who eat dogs and cats ..."

"I used to fight dogs and cocks. I have a motorcycle. I drink and cuss ... I can actually place you into the life of a dog-fighter and I can tell you personally I love dogs. It is not about hate for the dog, it is not about being abusive to a woman. It is the actually love for your dog and the instant/fleeting pride that you have when you say "my dog can beat your dog". [Qusan sticking her head out of the computer: Now ain't that some dick isht?] The putting to sleep of an injured dog is no different than putting down a horse from racing. I also notice the same people crying about Vick and others dog fighting have no problem with a grown ass man jumping on the back of horse and riding the shit out of him. The two are no different. "

Like I said, I was a little more upset by the rebuttals than I was the thought of what Vick supposedly did to those dogs and, back to the point, none of these guys could be accused of being immersed in Hip-Hop culture. Jason Whitlock is off base and so are too many men I know in cyberspace.

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A Mogul With A Clue

Imagine that!

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is having difficulty finding love again - because he believes he's 'too old' to be dating. The Def Jam founder, 49, has been linked to a number of beauties since his split from wife of 15 years, Kimora Lee, in 2006, but admits his age is a "problem" when it comes to courting.

He says, "Being single at my age is a problem. I see old, rich, day men in the club with 12-year-old models, and they're like, 'Hey, Russ, sit with us!' And I'm like, 'I gotta go home!' You don't think of yourself as old until you see those guys and they're asking you to come join them."

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Crickets Chirping ...

Blank stare ... no words ...

A homeless couple is in trouble with police after putting the "sin" back in Cincinnati.
Witnesses say James Barbour and Carol Walters were having sex on the median of a busy street during last Thursday's rush hour.

Walters was wearing a tee-shirt pushed up to her neck, while Barbour was completely naked.

Police arrested the couple after a witness called to report what he thought was a rape.

Barbour and Walters, who say they are engaged to be married, are now facing public indecency charges.
NBC

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This Is How People Get Shot

This is kinda messed up though I am not quite sure why he didn't have an issue with the alimony while the ex-wife was living with the other woman - only after she registered her relationship and changed her name. He's knows there is no marriage between same sex couples. At the same time, it doesn't seem right that he should still be paying ...

A judge has ordered a man to continue paying alimony to his ex-wife -- even though she's in a registered domestic partnership with another woman and even uses the other woman's last name.

California marriage laws say alimony ends when a former spouse remarries, and Ron Garber thought that meant he was off the hook when he learned his ex-wife had registered her new relationship under the state's domestic partnership law.

An Orange County judge didn't see it that way.

The judge ruled that a registered partnership is cohabitation, not marriage, and that Garber must keep writing the checks, $1,250 a month, to his ex-wife, Melinda Kirkwood. Garber plans to appeal.

The case highlights questions about the legal status of domestic partnerships, an issue the California Supreme Court is weighing as it considers whether same-sex marriage is legal. An appeals court upheld the state's ban on same-sex marriage last year, citing the state's domestic partners law and ruling that it was up to the Legislature to decide whether gays could wed.

Lawyers arguing in favor of same-sex marriage say they will cite the June ruling in the Orange County case as a reason to unite gay and heterosexual couples under one system: marriage.

In legal briefs due in August to the California Supreme Court, Therese Stewart, chief deputy city attorney for San Francisco, intends to argue that same sex couples should have access to marriage and that domestic partnership doesn't provide the same reverence and respect as marriage.

The alimony ruling shows "the irrationality of having a separate, unequal scheme" for same-sex partners, Stewart said.

Garber knew his former wife was living with another woman when he agreed to the alimony, but he said he didn't know the two women had registered with the state as domestic partners under a law that was intended to mirror marriage.

"This is not about gay or lesbian," Garber said. "This is about the law being fair."

Kirkwood's attorney, Edwin Fahlen, said the agreement was binding regardless of whether his client was registered as a domestic partner or even married. He said both sides agreed the pact could not be modified and Garber waived his right to investigate the nature of Kirkwood's relationship.

Garber's attorney, William M. Hulsy, disagreed.

"If he had signed that agreement under the same factual scenario except marriage, not domestic partnership, his agreement to pay spousal support would be null and void," Hulsy said.

Whatever the outcome, I'll bet he'll be marching with them at the next pride parade.

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Monkeys On The Loose

What's with all of the crazy animal stories?

In San Antonio, monkeys were stranded on high platforms at a biomedical research facility ...

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A Seagull As Robin Hood?

This is just bizarre! How would a seagull know to walk into a store and snatch a bag of chips ... to share with his friends, no less!

A Scottish seagull has a daily routine that includes stealing a bag of chips from a convenience store.

A cell phone video captured the seagull going through his daily ritual of walking through the open door of a Scottish convenience store, stealing a bag of snack chips and taking them outside.

Shop employees have named the gull Sam and he has become so popular with the locals, they pay for his daily snack.

Shop employee Phil McCall said the bird knows what he likes.

"All I see is a seagull grab a bag of crisps and run out the door. It's been coming back basically every day since, for the same crisps every day," McCall said.

Once outside, Sam rips the bag of chips open and shares them with other bird buddies

Condi Losing All Clout

I'm not sure when it's ever been common practice for the Secretary of State to submit Op-Ed pieces but apparently when Condi tried to do it, they told her "no than you."

If you've ever had trouble getting an Op-Ed submission published -- and who among print journalists has not? -- this might make you feel a little better: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has had the same problem.

Writing a -- what else? an Op-Ed -- in the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, former New York Times reporter Joel Brinkley (who now teaches journalism at Stanford) reveals Rice's problem in discussing her wider loss of influence.

Here is an excerpt:

A few months ago, she decided to write an opinion piece about Lebanon. She enlisted John Chambers, chief executive officer of Cisco Systems as a co-author, and they wrote about public/private partnerships and how they might be of use in rebuilding Lebanon after last summer's war. No one would publish it.

Think about that. Every one of the major newspapers approached refused to publish an essay by the secretary of state. Price Floyd, who was the State Department's director of media affairs until recently, recalls that it was sent to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and perhaps other papers before the department finally tried a foreign publication, the Financial Times of London, which also turned it down.

As a last-ditch strategy, the State Department briefly considered translating the article into Arabic and trying a Lebanese paper. But finally they just gave up. "I kept hearing the same thing: 'There's no news in this.' " Floyd said. The piece, he said, was littered with glowing references to President Bush's wise leadership. "It read like a campaign document."

Floyd left the State Department on April 1, after 17 years. He said he was fed up with the relentless partisanship and the unwillingness to consider other points of view. His supervisor, a political appointee, kept "telling me to shut up," he said. Nothing like that had occurred under Presidents Bill Clinton or George H.W. Bush. "They just wanted us to be Bush automatons."

She Smiled Until The End

I saw Tammy Faye on Larry King on Thursday night and wanted to cry. She did look like she was about to die. I talked to my mom later that night and told her that I didn't think Tammy Faye was going to last much longer. Well, it wasn't much longer. It was the next day.

Evangelist Tammy Faye Messner died on Friday morning of inoperable cancer, CNN's Larry King announced on Saturday night, after her family asked him to personally make the delayed statement. She was 65.

Messner had appeared as a guest on Larry King Live on Thursday, looking frighteningly thin, revealing that she could no longer swallow food and had dwindled down to a mere 65 lbs.

"She died peacefully," King said, as reported by CNN.

Messner underwent surgery for colon cancer in 1993 and revealed in 2004 that the disease had spread. By 2007, she revealed that her cancer was no longer treatable.

Asked by King what she would most like to be remembered for, Messner jokingly replied, "well, my eyelashes." Asked if she had a message for her fans, she replied: "I'd like to say that I genuinely love you, and I genuinely care, and I genuinely want to see you in heaven some day. I want you to find peace. I want you to find joy."

For two decades, Tammy Faye Bakker was a national icon, best known for dabbing at mascara-tinted tears while then-husband Jim Bakker prayed for sinners on the PTL (Praise the Lord) Network, one of the nation's first and most successful television ministries. The couple crashed and burned when Bakker was convicted in 1989 of defrauding supporters of his PTL ministry of more than $150 million, including a $265,000 payment to church secretary Jessica Hahn to keep quiet about their affair.

"It was the worst time in my life," Tammy Faye later said of the scandal, during which she developed a tranquilizer addiction. "It was as if someone had hit me with a 10-ton truck," she told NBC.

Never indicted in the mess, Tammy Faye divorced Jim Bakker while he was in prison and married construction magnate Roe Messner, who had helped build the ministry's Christian theme park and resort Heritage USA in South Carolina. As Tammy Faye Messner, she launched herself as a new, more ironic celebrity persona and even had a talk show on FOX in the 1990s. A 1999 film about her called The Eyes of Tammy Faye was submitted for an award at Sundance.

She embraced gays, some of whom revered her wacky hyper-femininity, and appeared on the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life, which put her in a house with porn star Ron Jeremy and rapper Vanilla Ice. "That reality show changed my life, once again," she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2005. "I can't believe such wonderful blessings are happening to me."

Her extravagant shopping sprees were as famous as her makeup. She once said she hoped heaven would include a giant shopping center "where there's no limit on your charge card."

She had certainly traveled a long way from her humble roots. Born Tamara Faye LaValley in International Falls, Minn., she was the oldest of eight children raised by a mill worker and a homemaker. "I thank God whenever I get into a bathtub, because I never had that when I was a little girl," she once said.

She had two children with Jim Bakker – Tammy Sue, 37, a minister who assisted her mother with home hospice care in her final months; and Jay, 31, who battled alcohol addiction but has lately emerged as a preacher in his own right, albeit one with tattoos who ministers to a flock of New York hipsters.

Jim Bakker, 67, served five years in prison, remarried and in 2003 launched the New Jim Bakker Show broadcasting out of Branson, Mo.

Right to the end, Tammy Faye seemed disinclined to dwell on the past. In a blog post to fans, she urged the sick to keep faith: "To those of you who are suffering as I ... don't give up! Make up your mind you're going to LIVE!! That is NOT EASY. The path gets so long. ... You see, God gives out his promises, they do not lie, they do not fail."

Tammy Faye was pretty much the caricature and joke to me that she was to many Americans. Then I saw her on The Surreal Life and I saw that she was actually a very decent person who took seriously her bible and her faith. She was in the house with quite the band of riff raff but managed to get along with everyone and never once preached to or pushed her faith off on any of them. Seriously, she was far less judgmental of porn king Ron Jeremy than I would have been and I know that what he represented had to be a total violation of her religious beliefs. I trust that she is finally out of pain.

Touche! Touche! Touche!

I've already told you. I cannot watch anything Fox News. But I will get the "best of" clips from Crooks and Liars. I guess Juan Williams has finally had enough because he has been "talking back" to the white masters quite a lot lately. Bill Kristol decides that the spouses of the democratic candidates should have a debate. Yet, when Juan Williams suggested that Bill Thompson's wife (who makes him look like a pedophile) should join the debate, all of the sudden that's not fair!

What a smarmy hypocrite William the Bloody Kristol is. Never passing up the opportunity to dismiss the Democrats as lightweights, Kristol declares that FOX News should hold a debate of the Democratic candidate spouses, because they’re so much more interesting than the actual candidates. But when Juan Williams points out that the “trophy wife” of the official GOP stealth candidate Fred Thompson should be included as well…well, that’s just unfair.

If you follow the link to the pics of his wife, you can see that he may as well have bought himself a wife from the Philippines. Bill Thompson: Dirty Old Man! Nasty thang!

Choosing Islam

This is a very interesting interview about one young lady's struggle.

Karima Berkani knows better than most the difficulties of trying to straddle two cultures. The 24-year-old daughter of an Algerian-born Muslim father and an American-born Roman Catholic mother, Berkani was raised in a bireligious household. Her parents taught her to believe in God, but left the faith of choice up to her. When she was 17, she chose Islam, and ever since she has been dealing with the question of how to live her life as a good Muslim in one of the nation’s most liberal, all-American towns. NEWSWEEK's Alexandra Gekas spoke with Berkani about her life in Madison, Wis., and her work as a political activist in Palestinian and anti-Iraq War movements.

NEWSWEEK: Do you wear the hijab?
Karima Berkani: Not anymore. I went through a period where I wore it before September 11, and after [the 9/11 attacks] I tried to keep it up for almost a year, but [I was] being accosted. Although I could deal with it, my parents had a problem with it. I was attracting attention, and it was creating a huge divide in my family. They thought it wasn't safe for me to wear it.

What are the major dilemmas you face about wearing the headscarf or not?
My personal interpretation of what Islam is asking of me is that I dress modestly. I don't think the Qur'an insists on the hijab, I don't think it's required of me, but at the same time I do feel that I should follow the example of Muhammad and his wife, who both covered their heads. It's also a lifestyle, and I felt like it was easier to be an active Muslim by separating myself from American culture. And if I wanted to pray, boom, I already had the veil on. It also easily identified me as Muslim to other Muslims, and it made it much easier to dress modestly.

read the rest of the interview ...

The President Is Presidenting Again

More "executive privilege" antics ...

Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority yesterday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.

The position presents serious legal and political obstacles for congressional Democrats, who have begun laying the groundwork for contempt proceedings against current and former White House officials in order to pry loose information about the dismissals.

Under federal law, a statutory contempt citation by the House or Senate must be submitted to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, "whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action."

But administration officials argued yesterday that Congress has no power to force a U.S. attorney to pursue contempt charges in cases, such as the prosecutor firings, in which the president has declared that testimony or documents are protected from release by executive privilege. Officials pointed to a Justice Department legal opinion during the Reagan administration, which made the same argument in a case that was never resolved by the courts.

"A U.S. attorney would not be permitted to bring contempt charges or convene a grand jury in an executive privilege case," said a senior official, who said his remarks reflect a consensus within the administration. "And a U.S. attorney wouldn't be permitted to argue against the reasoned legal opinion that the Justice Department provided. No one should expect that to happen."

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Where My Scissors At?

I am positively shaking! People have the nerve to laugh when I go into one of my fits about indiscriminate breeding.

A judge ruled that a teenager will be tried as an adult for the death of an 18-month-old boy whose mother testified that he was repeatedly swung like a bat against the wall when the teen became frustrated during toilet training.

Derris Smith, 18, the mother's live-in boyfriend, has been charged with murder. He was 17 on June 27, when, police said, he delivered the beating that led to Malakai Glenn's death four days later.

The impact of the child hitting the wall left drywall stuck to his head and cracked a wooden door, said the boy's mother Sasha Glenn, 20, who cried often during her testimony Wednesday.

You don't even want to read the rest. Please don't. I'm just volunteering to start snipping folks.

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Just When You Tought It Was Safe

Just when you thought Flavor Flav had worn out his welcome on VH1 and there would be no more seasons of "Flavor of Love," VH1 decided to do a "white version" and they call it "Rock of Love." I was so not a fan of rock back in the day and definitely not of glam rock bands so it's only fairly recently that I even found out who Brett Michaels was. He is in his 40s, as was Flav, and looking for "love" and/or who knows what else.

It's probably best not to spend too much time thinking about introductions. Let's not get caught up in the hows, the whys and the why-must-I-cries of Rock of Love and instead just accept the fact that it's here and it's not going away until your world is utterly rocked. Resistance is futile. You will be swinging on a stripper pole by the end of the season.

We open with footage of Poison frontman Bret Michaels, who will be picking among 25 babes, looking totally angelic while riding his motorcycle and explaining his impetus for the show.

On the reunion show for Charm School, ex Flavor of Love contestant Brooke/Pumkin spoke up for the "white women" of America after being called out by Monique as the "whore" of Charm School.

The show had twinges of racial tension as Becky a.k.a. "Buckwild" continued to play the confused White girl role but was called out by Brooke a.k.a. "Pumkin" who reminded America of the cultural differences between White and Black women.

"For blonde, White, blue-eyed girls, I was just a big flirt...right Becky?" Brooke said about her "raunchy" behavior during the Charm School prom set up by relationship expert Tariq Nasheed, who wrote the book, 'The Art of Macking.' When Becky tried to deny that she had gotten drunk and hooked up with a guy, Brooke wouldn't back down saying, "I'm going to stand strong on this because I represent you [and White girls] on this. Culturally, Black women are more conservative. I was just having fun."

While I'll grant that Pumkin/Brooke is hardly a spokesperson for any woman, if the first episode of ROL is any indication, that child ain't nevah lied! This incarnation of the "brand" makes Flavor of Love 1&2 look like a Saturday morning cartoon.

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Old Ass Coot Is Rap Fan

See! This is when I would find the "N" word appropriate. This old coot uses the N-word in the board room and claims the first time he ever heard it was on TV or in a rap song! Ni$$a please!

The longtime chairman of the Roger Williams University board admitted Monday that he had used the N-word during a board meeting, saying it "kind of slipped out."

"I apologized for that," Ralph Papitto said in an interview on WPRO-AM. "What else can I do? Kill myself?"

Papitto, 80, who stepped down this month after nearly 40 years on the board, admitted he used the racial slur at a May meeting of the school's board of trustees. He had been discussing the difficulty of finding blacks and other minority members to serve on the 16-member board, which at the time included 14 white men and two women.

Barbara Roberts, then a board member, said Papitto became irate when he discussed pressures to make the board more diverse, at one point using the slur to refer to black candidates.

She said he then told the board he knew he couldn't say that because of Don Imus, the radio host who was fired after referring to Rutgers University women's basketball team members as "nappy-headed hos."

"There was, like, this complete and utter silence, and I was shocked beyond belief and very angry," Roberts said.

Papitto has given the school at least $7 million, and his name is on the law school, the only one in Rhode Island.

He said he had never used the term before.

"The first time I heard it was on television and then rap music or something," Papitto told WPRO.

I don't remember the first time I heard the word but it was long before rap and long before it was allowed to be said on TV (unless you were watching racist whites harassing blacks trying to register to vote, go to a neighborhood school or getting bused). It may have just slipped out. I believe that and I don't listen to rap enough to know which songs use it and which songs don't. I do know that I've heard it from people like him, his probable children and grandchildren.

This is how you know he is lying. If you are wrong and sorry, you just say so. My expectations for men like him are low and I can almost giggle it off because he grew up in a different time and place (before television). But, this man is an alleged lifetime scholar so I don't think he should try to insult anyone else's intelligence by pretending he got the word from some young black rappers and applied it to would be black board members. That, sir, is a non sequitur.

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The Consensus Is That He Is High

Bill Kristol is creating an alternate reality because the real one is too hard to face ...

John put up a couple of posts yesterday pointing to William Kristol’s delusional OpEd, Why Bush Will Be A Winner at the Washington Post yesterday. Kristol writes at the beginning of his article:

I suppose I’ll merely expose myself to harmless ridicule if I make the following assertion: George W. Bush’s presidency will probably be a successful one.

Somehow, I don’t think Mr. Kristol knew just how much harmless ridicule was headed his way, but The Post should have. As I write this there are some 124 PAGES of comments and after reading nearly 40 of them I could only find one or two individual posts that were supportive of him.

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