Obama / Clooney 2008?

A liberal can dream, can't she?

Kudos to Clooney's

George Clooney is once again using his celebrity status for good and not evil. He grabbed his camera and his dad, Nick Clooney, or Pop, if you will, and took a week long trip to Darfur, to help bring attention to the atrocities that are taking place there. Clooney (younger, not senior) will be making the rounds on talk shows to discuss their (citizens of Darfur, not Clooney's) plight and show the images he captured. Clooney (senior, not younger) will write a series of articles for the Cincinnati Post about what they witnessed.

Since most of us aren't able to do what the Clooney's did, why not take a moment to visit the Save Darfur website and send a message to President Bush, urging him to support a stronger multi-national force to protect the civilians of Darfur.

Sign Letter to Bush

Snow Job

In an effort to rearrange more deck chairs on the Titanic, President Bush named Fox News' Tony Snow as the new White House press secretary to replace Scott McClellan. Excellent casting on Bush's part. Tony Snow has had his head so far up Bush's ass, he might as well start talking out of it.

Bush Taps Snow As New Press Secretary

Keith Hernandez is a Bitch

The male chauvinist gigantic asshole award goes to Keith Hernandez for his quote regarding women and baseball.

"Who is the girl in the dugout, with the long hair?" Hernandez said. "What's going on here? You have got to be kidding me. Only player personnel in the dugout."

"I won't say that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout," Hernandez said.

Hernandez, a former Mets first baseman and "Seinfeld" guest star, then laughed and said: "You know I am only teasing. I love you gals out there _ always have."

Ew. I'm not feelin' the love Keith, nor do I want too. You know what they say Keith; sometimes there is truth in humor. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Are you in need of a tall glass of water to wash down both of your feet? Prick.

Keith Hernandez Trips on His Own Tongue

Searching For Sex

My, my, my, there certainly are a lot of randy folks out there in cyberspace. I cannot tell you how many hits I've had on my site today from people who did a blog.google search for sex! I can just imagine their disappointment when they checked out my link looking for sex, but finding no sex, nothing about sex, just a title of an entry that includes the word sex. Now I'll have even more hits because I've used the word sex liberally. I like the word sex, sexy sex, sex. I'm a sexy bitch. Do I make you horny? Yeah, baby, yeah.

Ha ha ha! Made ya look!

This Week In Sex

A 76 year old Florida man, Philip Winikoff, went door to door offering to squeeze the knockers of, in my opinion, some of the most gullible women on the planet. I say that because it wasn't until he asked one woman to remove all of her clothing and proceeded to conduct a genital exam sans gloves that the woman became suspicious. Yes, it was the lack of gloves that tipped her off. I mean, no doctor worth his salt would work in the nether regions unprotected in this day and age.

On a more serious note, Republican representative and crusader against all things orgasmic, Ralph Davenport introduced legislation that would ban the sale of sex toys, making it a felony to do so in the state of North Carolina. After reading that this kind of thing is quite common in some southern states...well that just clears up so many questions for me. Banning sex toys. I'm at a loss for words and I might just cry.

Phony Doctor


Just Say No to Sex Toys

Priorities

I apologize for my absence and not keeping current on the ol' blogaroo. I'm in the middle of writing a screenplay and I'm hot right now, literally on fire...a pluthera of creativity and ideas, so that's been the top occupier of my time right now. I'm not ignoring you, I promise.

And with gas getting ready to take a trip to Four-Dollar-A-Gallon-Land, I'm not leaving my house unless my destination is within walking distance. The walking v. driving has its advantages as well...it helps the environment, keeps my debit card from sobbing, and maintains my near perfect ass.

Break Glass In Case of Emergency

Do you smell that? What is that stench? Oh....it's failure. Even Fox News viewers are giving George W. Bush two thumbs, way down. A 33% approval rating from Fox News. Oh wow. That just sucks ass for you GWB.

Bush Approval at New Low

Protocol Trumps First Amendment

President Bush apologized to Chinese President Hu Jintao for our right to freedom of speech in our country. The secret service covered the mouth of Wenyi Wang as she yelled out from the top of a camera platform, asking Bush to get the Chinese president to stop persecuting the Falun Gong. Did you get that? COVERED HER MOUTH! And Bush APOLOGIZED for her right to speak!

A photographer who was standing next to the protester tried momentarily to quiet her by putting his hand in front of her mouth.

"It's hugely embarrassing," said Derek Mitchell, a former Asia adviser at the Pentagon and now an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

China "must know that this Bush administration is good at controlling crowds for themselves, and the fact that they couldn't control this is going to play to their worst fears and suspicions about the United States, into mistrust about American intentions toward China."

What the fuck?! Am I reading an American newspaper? Do I need glasses? It's "hugely embarrassing"? Do we have to turn into China just to appease their leaders when they come to visit? Bush is a huge pussy for not telling President Hu Jintau, "Hey look, people speak their minds here. This is America." Bush was acting as if he were ashamed. It's as if he turned into a sleazy, used car salesman, trying to make a sale, selling out at the same time.

Bush Apologizes for Freedom of Speech

New Gas Prices

'Nuff said.

And If I Had To Work Too

Alarm goes off, I shower, get three kids fed and same kids dressed, get one off to school, take other two to daughters ballet class, take other son to afternoon kindergarten, run various errands, pick up kids from school, homework, t-ball practice for youngest son at one park, leave that practice early to make it to oldest son's softball practice at another park across town, half of practice in the dark, field lights do not come on, suck ass news for the team waiting to practice after us, pick up fast food at 8pm for kids and husband because double practice squeezed into one night cuts majorly into dinner time, I'm not cooking, you can kiss my ass, baths for the two youngest children, shower for the oldest, all three in bed, I just sat down...Hellooooo spring! If I had to work too I'd probably bust a cap in someone's ass.

I'm beat. Goodnight.

And Take That With You

Will Joshua Bolten be the bad cop to George Bush's good cop and give Rummy the boot? Will he show him the door and remind him not to let it hit him in the ass on the way out? Will he tell him that he doesn't have to go home but he can't stay here? Will he ask him to take some people with him while he's at it? Will Christmas come early this year?

Bush's New Chief of Staff Signals Shake-Up

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Would same sex marriage really be the downfall of civilization that opponents would have you believe? Change from the status quo is nearly impossible for some people to accept; and instead of admit that their deep seeded opposition stems from their own insecurities, bigotry, ignorance, and shortcomings, they rail against the change preaching the negative impact they believe it will have on society.

When women fought for the right to vote, they were labeled as 'hysterical'...the professional terminology for crazy in that day. Feminism was associated with having a mental disorder because it was just nuts that a woman would assert herself in such a way and even crazier that they expected society to accept it! But thanks to the sacrifices made by women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, women are able to exercise their right to vote on issues that shape the society that they live in, and allowed them to be included in the "...all men are created equal..." statement. The world did not come to a crashing halt when this happened, and it did not end democracy. Although I do wish that the 'soccer mom's for George W. Bush' had stayed home on election day, 2004.

In 1964 segregation was finally abolished, and it wasn't until 1967 that all states accepted, legally, the right for interracial couples to marry...gasp! Each other! There have only been a handful of countries that outright banned interracial marriage, and the free and democratic United States was one of them. Fear of 'racial impurity' fueled the opposition. Even the beloved Sammy Davis Jr. couldn't escape the outrage from the public over his marriage to a white, Swedish actress. The couple had to hire bodyguards and his wife wouldn't let their children appear in public with their father...the hate over their union was that deep.

History is filled with controversial ideas that test society; ideas that free people from oppression and discrimination. Gay marriage is just one more. In my opinion it is not always the ideas themselves that present the problem, but the people's less than positive reaction to them, their refusal to accept them, and it is the people that vociferously protest them that cause the real evils that permeate society.

A Tale of Two Articles

First of all, Happy Easter and I need some more Merlot, now...Can you spot the radical liberal media in these two articles? Use your compare and contrast skills while you process the information written about the following two subjects: Sean Hannity far right-wing commentator for Fox News Channel, and Maryscott O'Connor liberal blogger and creator of My Left Wing. First Sean...

Fox's Hannity Stays the Course With Bush

Sean Hannity will not abandon ship. President Bush's approval ratings have sunk into the 30s, but Fox News Channel's tenacious conservative isn't wavering in his support, even while parting ways with the president over immigration and the Dubai ports deal.

"Let me be straight with you - I like George Bush," Hannity said. "I think he's a man of principle, a man of faith. I think he's got a backbone of steel and he's a real, genuine, big-time leader ... He's a consequential figure for his time. We don't see it right now."

History will vindicate Bush as a strong leader the same way it did Harry Truman, another unpopular president of his time, Hannity said.

Even surf-by viewers of "Hannity & Colmes" will recognize those opinions. The popularity of the weeknight talk show and his syndicated talk-radio show has enabled the 44-year-old Long Island native to become a business unto himself - hawking books, recommending CDs and arranging dates for like-minded singles.

...[snip]...

"I think the guy's political views are off-the-wall, but he is an undeniably brilliant television talent," said Ellis Henican, a Newsday columnist and frequent on-air foil. "He exudes authenticity. You can disagree with him, as I do, about almost every thought he has but recognize that Sean is truly somebody who believes in something."

...[snip]...

Hannity has criticized the Dubai ports deal for being a threat to national security. During the debate on immigration, he takes a much tougher line than the president on illegal workers and in seeking more secure borders.

While this may upset the president's supporters and some of Hannity's fans, Henican believes Hannity gains wider credibility by exhibiting something other than unquestioned support for Bush.

"I say these things every day," Hannity said. "Liberal critics don't hear me say it."

...[snip]...

Hannity, during a later interview in his Fox News Channel office, said that there's nothing inconsistent about attacking Democrats himself, then attacking Democrats for attacking Bush.

"I don't hate the Democrats," he said. "I have fun with the Democrats. As a matter of fact, I use them for a lot of fun on the air. What they're saying is serious - while we're at war, and while the president is sending troops in harm's way after the worst attack in history. There's a big difference between that and joking about Bill Clinton's sexcapades."

Growing up on Long Island, Hannity never missed a speech by Ronald Reagan. He listened intently to radio talk-show hosts, including Larry King. He's living his dream, he said.

He has donated to some GOP officeholders, like Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (since he's a commentator and not a journalist, he doesn't consider that a conflict). He professed to no political plans for himself.

And even if President Bush is having his problems, don't think Hannity is vulnerable.

"I'm ready to fight," he said. "This is what I do for a living. I'm not afraid to take a punch. Give me your best shot."

Glowing isn't it? He's a man of his convictions. Strong. Credible. And all that smack talk about Democrats over the years? Those was just jokes baby! When he criticized Bill Clinton and the war in Kosovo, that was just all in fun even though troops were in harms way. Like these:

"But if you know - every mistake we've made up to this point, there's no stated goal. There's no definition of success. All these important things. There's no exit strategy. One mistake after another. Why would you go in deeper when we have not been successful up to this point? That seems to me to be folly."~ Hannity 1999

"Slobodan Milosevic is a bad guy. He's an evil man. Horrible things are happening. I agree with that. Is Bill O'Reilly then saying we go to Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan? Where does this stop? And when you look at sheer numbers, 2,000 -- and I'm not minimizing death. It's horrible. What this man is doing with ethnic cleansing is abhorrent, but sheer numbers -- 2,000 killed in the last year versus hundreds of thousands, millions in some cases in other parts of the world. Are you saying the United States should go to all those places?"~ Hannity 1999

Wow! Sounds familiar, no? Sean how could you?! Troops were in harms way! You were undermining their mission! You TRAITOR!

Now excerpts from Ms. O'Connor's article...

The Left, Online and Outraged

In the angry life of Maryscott O'Connor, the rage begins as soon as she opens her eyes and realizes that her president is still George W. Bush. The sun has yet to rise and her family is asleep, but no matter; as soon as the realization kicks in, O'Connor, 37, is out of bed and heading toward her computer.

Out there, awaiting her building fury: the Angry Left, where O'Connor's reputation is as one of the angriest of all. "One long, sustained scream" is how she describes the writing she does for various Web logs, as she wonders what she should scream about this day.

She smokes a cigarette. Should it be about Bush, whom she considers "malevolent," a "sociopath" and "the Antichrist"? She smokes another cigarette. Should it be about Vice President Cheney, whom she thinks of as "Satan," or about Karl Rove, "the devil"? Should it be about the "evil" Republican Party, or the "weaselly, capitulating, self-aggrandizing, self-serving" Democrats, or the Catholic Church, for which she says "I have a special place in my heart . . . a burning, sizzling, putrescent place where the guilty suffer the tortures of the damned"?

...[snip]...

"WAKE THE [expletive] UP," she writes next, and this time, instead of pausing, she keeps going, typing harder and harder on a keyboard that is surrounded by a pack of cigarettes, a dirty ashtray, a can of nonalcoholic beer, an album with photos of her dead father and a taped-up note -- staring at her -- on which she has scrawled "Why am I/you here?"

...[snip]...

"Rage, rage against the Lying of the Right" is the subtitle of O'Connor's Web site.

"If I can't rant, I don't want to be part of your revolution" is how she signs her comments, in the place other people might write "Sincerely."

"I was not like this before," she says. "I was riddled with empathy for everyone suffering in the world. Classic bleeding-heart liberal."

...[snip]...

All of which O'Connor finds remarkable, especially when she considers her route to this point -- the complications of which are reflected in the items she keeps close at hand.

The cigarettes are because of a personality that she describes as compulsive.

The nonalcoholic beer is because for several years she drank to excess.

The note that says "Why am I/you here?" is because she is in constant search of an answer.

And the photo album is because of a 25-year-old Marine who died fighting in Vietnam three months before she was born, which she thinks helps explain the note, the alcohol, the cigarettes and the very first piece of writing she ever published online, a rant against the war in Iraq that began, "Every single millisecond of my life was directly affected by the nightmare that was Vietnam."

As for the keyboard, it is where O'Connor finished her evolution from lost soul to angry soul, beginning with that very first rant, which concluded with a wish that Bush, "after contracting incurable cancer and suffering for protracted periods of time without benefit of medication," go to hell.

She's portrayed as grief ridden dealing with issues born from a father she never knew. The anger surfaced after Bush was elected and fumbled the ball right off the bat, but you'd never know that from the article, even though it is glossed over in the beginning it spends the rest of the article painting her in a different angry light.

What ever happened to journalism? What became of reporting without descriptive passages and colored with personal opinion?

What's In a Value?

What is wrong with the religious right? What kind of fucked up sense of values do these people live by? People, American soldiers and Iraqi's alike are getting blown to smithereens, the White House is leaking classified information for political gain, wiretapping without bothering with those pesky warrants, Katrina victims are still suffering, Republican leaders and their associates are being indicted and hauled off to jail one by one...they're literally fucking criminals...and what is it that will get the religious right to the polls this fall? An amendment to the Constitution banning flag burning. Yes, I know the problem of flag burning is rampant these days. Why just last week I was thinking to myself how it is you can't drive down the street and turn a corner without seeing yet another flag on fire! When will someone put a stop to this epidemic? Oh sure, the manufacturers of flags are sitting pretty with the sudden increase in orders, but at what cost? It is destroying the moral fabric (literally) of our country!

GAWD! I could scream at how utterly meaningless that issue is! Their other pressing priority is protecting marriage, of course. Are you just as certain as I am that they aren't talking about banning divorce? Or shooting adulterers on site? No no no... they're still all over keeping homosexuals from enjoying the same benefits we heterosexuals enjoy as married couples. I still haven't figured out just how a homosexual marriage will destroy my own heterosexual one. Maybe it's similar to It's A Wonderful Life, only instead of bells ringing and angels getting their wings, it will be every time a homosexual couple marries a heterosexual marriage explodes. What? Why are you looking at me like that? Well it must be something violent and deadly otherwise the religious right wouldn't be fighting so persistently to keep homosexuals out of our exclusive club.

My question is, and has been, why are these religious organizations enjoying tax exempt status when they have such influence over public policy?

Congratulations, It's a Blockbuster!

As the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity. As luck would have it for Tom Cruise, the birth of his first biological child just happens to coincide with the timing of the press junket for his new movie Mission Impossible 3. So you have Disney to thank for being inundated with Tomkat baby news...anything to keep their golden boy of summer in the press. I'm not some wacky conspiracy theorist...

Excerpts from the interview, conducted by Diane Sawyer, were released by the Walt Disney Co.-owned network as part of a publicity blitz linking the impending birth of Cruise's first biological child with his upcoming film, "Mission: Impossible: III."

See? I don't lie.

Reuters Tom Cruise

Brother Can You Spare a Grand?

Kudos to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for recognizing that being punished for misfortune is inhumane. The court ruled that so long as there are more homeless people in Los Angeles than there are beds to accommodate them, they cannot be arrested and/or fined (one thousand bucks) for having no choice but to sleep in the street or some other public place. I know it offends you personally to have to see them and look at them but I assure you they didn't choose their lot in life to be an eyesore to you.

Appeals Court Bars Arrests of Homeless in Los Angeles

The Road to War

If I'm in New York anytime soon, I'll have to go and check out the stage show "Stuff Happens". Although, I don't know why I would be in New York anytime soon, considering I've never been and don't have plans to be in the near future. From the New York Times review:

The play now seems less an arrogant, animated history book with a fixed agenda than a fluid public speculation — a collective work of imagination that attempts to grasp how and why an unnecessary and unwinnable war was allowed to happen. The first-rate cast members — who notably include Jay O. Sanders as President Bush, Peter Francis James as Colin Powell and Gloria Reuben as Condoleezza Rice — become the audience's investigative agents. There's a new Brechtian distance between player and part, though in the cases of Mr. James and Ms. Reuben, the performances are also steeped in warmly insightful empathy that lends the production a concrete (as opposed to abstract) humanity.

I don't have to summarize the plot for you, do I? "Stuff Happens" charts the staff meetings (at the White House and at No. 10 Downing Street), closed-door conferences, public addresses, and backdoor diplomacy and betrayals that led to the American-spearheaded invasion of Iraq. Some of the material (including its title, famously uttered by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld about looting in newly liberated Baghdad) is taken directly from transcripts of press conferences, United Nations assemblies and television interviews.

No, you don't need to summarize the plot. I've got it, I've had it since the beginning, and fortunately the rest of the country seems to be finally catching on.

David Hare's 'Stuff Happens': All the President's Men in 'On the Road to Baghdad'

Oh Hollywood, Where Art Thou?

Hollywood can't win. They're either getting involved politically and skewered for doing so, or they're being taken to task for not supporting the cause du jour. Apparently, if you're an actor who's been an activist for any cause, ever in history, you're expected to give voice to any that come along. The media wants to know, where is Susan Sarandon? What happened to Ed Begley Jr.? Did the cat get Ed Asner's tongue? Does Martin Sheen think his own career is more important than lending his celebrity status to the immigration issue? The nerve! How dare they not suppot every stinking cause that blows through this country! Worthy or not. Don't they know that Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly don't know what to do with themselves when they don't have a Hollywood celebrity to rake over the coals, and mock? It not only fills a segment or two on their own television talk shows, but it's at least a weeks worth of fodder for their radio programs.

You've dropped the ball, oh League of Hollywood Super Activists... the news media is sending out their distress signal, the commissioner is on the phone, and there is no answer. What has become of our hero's? Will they answer the call? Will Edward James Olmos be forced to represent all of Hispanic Hollywood, solo? Will you, the reader, be able to decifer the sarcasm in this post?

Not that the movement has needed famous standard bearers — it has been notable for its bottom-up genesis that has left it without recognizable leaders.

Still, there are no good excuses for the celebrity vacuum, Hispanic rights groups contend.

No good excuse? Huh. I wasn't aware that anyone was under any obligation to support a movement just because there is a movement. What if Hollywood did lend their voice to the cause, but it wasn't the support the movement was looking for? Actors aren't elected officials, they're just citizens who on occasion are passionate about issues...just like you and me, only nobody knows who the hell I am. So when they get uppity about something it gets attention, unlike when I get my knickers in a twist. Hmmm...if an unknown blogger get's her knickers in a twist about an issue, but no one hears it because they don't know who she is, does she make a sound? Oh, that IS deep. Profound. Indeed.

Hollywood Is Quiet On Immigration

Shaka Bra

If you're lookin' for fresh content today I'm sorry to say you'll be disappointed. It's spring break in SoCal and I'm hittin' the beach dude-chickies. This salty sister will be chillin' on the sand trying to avoid the shoobies. If you're a regular here I'll have something up later tonight or tomorrow...if you're a newbie who's here because you've heard such totally awesome things about my blog check out the archives, there's plenty to keep you occupied... if you stumbled across my blog by accident...woops, watch your step. I'm off to Santa Monica...

Hella sweet!

Making a Mockery of Marriage

Thank goodness conservatives have managed to keep homosexuals from marrying each other, an act that would surely undermine the sanctity of marriage. Take a glance at these tales of heterosexual wedded bliss... I need a tissue.

8 Sailors Charged in Marriage Scheme

Eight sailors were charged Tuesday with arranging sham marriages to Polish and Romanian women to help the women obtain U.S. citizenship and to collect bigger military housing allowances for themselves.

Billionaire and his wife in dogfight?

But the pooch, a golden Lab named Beauregard, seems the least of Scaife's troubles. At stake in what is shaping up as one of the nastiest divorces in American history is a fortune estimated at $1.2 billion.

"There's no prenup — so wish me luck!" said Scaife, who was married to the 58-year-old Mrs. Scaife for 14 years before they separated in December.

Eminem and Kim Mathers Call it Quits
Kim Mathers, the soon-to-be-twice-ex-wife of rapper Eminem decided to air her side of the couple’s divorce story to a Detroit-area morning radio station last week, reported People magazine.

Eminem - who remarried Mathers on Jan. 14, filed for divorce on April 5.

“He’s having problems with, you know, his problem that he had,” she told the radio station, apparently referring to the artist’s sleeping-pill addiction, for which he sought treatment last summer.

Till death do they part. Or at least until they can't stand the sight of each other anymore and one of them declares, "You're dead to me!". Does that count? Guess so. Then there is the love, honor, and cherish in the name of scamming the government and the brides out of a few bucks. Chivalry is dead...someone please bury it, it's starting to rot. Marriage can be hell so you'd think that evangelical Christians would be more than happy to send the homosexuals there. Why not let everyone share in the exploitation...there's 'nuff to go 'round for everybody!

A Lack of Depth

This is somewhat of a follow up post to my previous entry. Actually, just a comment regarding the following couple of paragraphs from New York Magazine:

But even for a life event, celebrity-weekly editors go on to explain, the Brangelina baby is particularly enticing. For one, there’s the simple matter of aesthetics. “The parents happen to be two of the most gorgeous people on the planet. How gorgeous is that baby going to be?” wonders Bonnie Fuller, the editorial director of American Media, whose stable of magazines includes Star. Dan Wakeford, an executive editor of In Touch, offers a tentative answer: “This could possibly be the most beautiful baby in the history of the world.” Even more than looks, there’s the backstory. “There’d be a lot of interest if it was Jennifer Aniston’s baby,” explains an editor at one celebrity weekly, “but with Brangelina, there’s that extra factor that the Hollywood golden couple was broken up so that this relationship, and this baby, could happen . . . I mean, this is the baby Jen wouldn’t give Brad, and the fact that it’s Angelina giving it to him—my feeble little mind can barely handle it!”

In that sense, the birth marks the end of a modern fairy tale, the sentimental made-for-TV-movie moment of the happy new family in their cocoon of bliss (and for added narrative pleasure, there’s poor Aniston off smoking and getting naked in a bad-looking movie with chubby Vince Vaughn). Whoever contrives to get the shot of the gorgeous Pitt-Jolie offspring will not only enjoy a lucrative windfall. They’ll give us the closure we all crave, while throwing open the door to the next serial fairy tale (the inevitable marital bumps, etc.) that will delight and/or disgust millions of us around the world—and sell a ton of magazines. But first, the photo, or what Debra Birnbaum, the deputy editor of Life&Style, calls “the Holy Grail of celebrity journalism.”

The closure we all crave? What is wrong with us as a society that we need closure to a relationship born from adultery, about two people who are total strangers to us? What does it say about us that society finds that romantic? Why is it entertaining to jest about how the victim chose to go on with her life, making a movie with a man who hasn't taken a crap on her trust? Yeah, that's a real drag... Jeez Jen, don't you know you're supposed to be bitter? It plays out better in the tabloids when you're angry honey. The tabloids should be ashamed of themselves for praising the offenders and calling the victim's boyfriend names.

How shallow are we that we think it is at all important to know if Baby Pitt will be the most "beautiful baby in the history of the world"? That child won't be gorgeous right off the bat to anyone but his or her parents. He or she will look like a baby frog or a baby bird, just like every other newborn, "all red, and pinched, and funny looking" (any I Love Lucy fans out there? Die hards will get that quote). How do the tabloids know if this is the "baby that Jen wouldn't give Brad"? Were they a part of the couples marriage? Maybe I'll ask the paparazzi who are assigned to stake out The Ivy (Santa Monica not Beverly Hills) while I'm having lunch there tomorrow. Will they catch Jennifer Aniston smoking yet another cigarette out on the patio? Are you tingling with anticipation to find out?

But the rags can't be solely to blame. They just want to make money and they do that by giving the people what they want, what they crave. We should be ashamed of ourselves for treating celebrities as if their personal lives are just another movie or television show produced for our amusement. These are real people, these are their lives, going through the same heartwrenching ordeals many of us go through... ordeals that bring us to our knees, sobbing; and we anxiously await the newest edition to hit the newstands, like some kind of cliffhanger book. Tsk, tsk!

Not Since Jesus

Brangelinatomkat Jr.

Why is such a Goddamn big deal made out of celebrities having babies? Is the world really waiting on bated breath to find out if Brad and Angie will have their son or daughter in Africa, or Paris, or maybe Los Angeles? Do we really want to be reminded that Tom and Katie had sex at least once? Isn't he like almost old enough to be her dad or something? Do we care that Britney is having children with serial procreator Kevin Federline. Ugh! I shudder at the mental picture that conjures up. And who gives a rip that Gwyneth named her darling daughter Apple? What the hell kind of name is that? Why do celebrities do that to their kids anyway? There was practically 24 hour Julia watch when she was pregnant with her twins, Phinnaeus and Hazel (see what I mean?), as if twins were some unique phenomenon.

Ya know, Madonna and I both gave birth to our first children the same week in October of 1996, at separate hospitals just a few miles apart. I was at St. Joseph's in Burbank and Madge was at Cedar's in Los Angeles. No one gave me any special nicknames like the 'Maternal Girl', no articles were written, also absent were the segments on Access Hollywood, nor was a camera crew that included CNN waiting outside my hospital in anticipation of the statistics describing time of birth, weight, height, and sex of my child. I imagine we gave birth much in the same way, except she had a C-section and I squeezed mine out of my vagina (and my son weighed over 9 pounds...I rule!).

Not one member of the paparazzi tried to sneak a snapshot of my newborn son and I leaving the hospital...me still looking just as pregnant as when I entered the hospital. Not one! Wanna know why? I did not give birth to the future king or queen of any country, and you know what? Neither did Madonna, or Britney, or Julia, or Gwyneth, nor will Angie or Katie. I could understand the hupla if that were the case, but it's not... it's just rich and pretty people (except Federline, he's just nasty) having babies, and franky, it ain't no thang. What's worse is that I know all of this without having to look anything up. How sad is that?

The Church of Liberalism: Godless

That's the title of Ann Coulter's latest book. Charming, isn't she? This modern day Nosferatu (seriously, have you noticed her(?) exceptionally long hands, long face, and adams apple?), who calls for the death of foreign leaders (i.e. "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.") while never without the gold cross hanging off of her enormous adams apple, is calling Liberals 'godless'...oh the nerve. The book goes on sale June 6th. She must need the money, she looks like she's starving to death!

Drudge Report

All Your Base Are Belong To Us

Mexed missages. Yep, I spelled that wrong on purpose just to give you a sense of the confusion that I'm about to illustrate. Will we have permanent military bases in Iraq? Of course we will. No one in this administration will admit that outright, but you can count on it being certain. Rumsfeld says that determination will be made by the incoming Baghdad government, if “they have an interest in our assisting them for some period over time.” Secretary of State Condi Rice "brushed aside suggestions that the United States wants an indefinite troop presence and permanent military bases in Iraq" according to an April 4th, AP article. That is the first clue right there. That way a politician speaks. The key word in that phrase is "wants"...did you catch that already? I knew you would; you're brilliant.

No. Of course the U.S. doesn't "want" indefinite troop presence and permanent military bases in Iraq, but will we be told that we "need" them there? Ahhh...grasshopper, you learn quickly. By President Bush's own admission, the troops will be there for at least 3 more years. You remember the March 21st AP article that wrote, "President Bush said Tuesday that American forces will remain in Iraq for years and it will be up to a future president to decide when to bring them all home. But defying critics and plunging polls, he declared, "I'm optimistic we'll succeed. If not, I'd pull our troops out."

The Associated Press released this article regarding military bases in Iraq the same day as Bush announced he was washing his hands of an exit strategy and leaving it to some poor future chump.

Extended presence of U.S. in Iraq looms large

Al-Asad will become even more isolated. The proposed 2006 supplemental budget for Iraq operations would provide $7.4 million to extend the no-man’s-land and build new security fencing around the base, which at 19 square miles is so large that many assigned there take the Yellow or Blue bus routes to get around the base, or buy bicycles at a PX jammed with customers.

The latest budget also allots $39 million for new airfield lighting, air traffic control systems and upgrades allowing al-Asad to plug into the Iraqi electricity grid — a typical sign of a long-term base.

At Tallil, besides the new $14 million dining facility, Ali Air Base is to get, for $22 million, a double perimeter security fence with high-tech gate controls, guard towers and a moat — in military parlance, a “vehicle entrapment ditch with berm.”

Wow. That is a lot of base building/securing going on for a military presence that we've been told will be pulling out once the Iraqi troops pass muster and can take care of their ownselves. Which of course we've also been told is going very well. Okay, well, we're going to be there a long time. Our bases will be permanent. Mark my words.

Moving on to more confusion...Condi also said this on April 4th:

"The presence in Iraq is for a very clear purpose, and that's to enable Iraqis to be able to govern themselves and to create security forces that can help them do that," Rice told the House Appropriations Committee's foreign operations panel.

Let's back that fact truck up for just a second. Why are we there Condi? I thought we were in Iraq because Sadaam posed a clear and immediate threat to the security of the United States. That was the reason the U.N. weapons inspectors were pulled out of Iraq and their request for more time denied...THE reason for "shock and awe". I thought we were there to find WMD. Then we were told that we are "fighting them [insurgents/al qaeda] over there so that we don't have to fight them here". Simoultaneously we've been told that we were liberating the Iraqi people and bringing democracy to their country. Look, they have their parliament and they have troops... it is time to go. If our soldiers are ready to fight after 3 months of boot camp, then the Iraqi soldiers should be plenty ready.

Our presence in Iraq is not very clear Ms. Rice. It's not very clear because the reasons change depending on who is on the recieving end of the political advantage that answer will provide. She goes on to say:

"I don't think that anybody believes that we really want to be there longer than we have to," the chief U.S. diplomat added.

And no one is suggesting that Condi, so why are you answering a question that hasn't been asked? Why can't you just answer 'yes' or 'no'? Will the bases be made permanent? No. Will the bases be made permanent? Yes. See how easy that was? This administration either A) doesn't know the answer to that question, or B) Does know but will not tell the truth. Either case is not appealing. If you don't understand political speak, it's no wonder you're confused. Consider this translation my gift to society.

Peace out.

Rice Dismisses Talk of U.S. Bases in Iraq - AP


Bush: Troops to Stay in Iraq for Years

It Rhymes With Witch

Am I the only person who caught Eric Burns, host of Fox News Watch, call Katie Couric a "bitch"? Or maybe he meant Meredith Viera? Just before a commercial break, while discussing Couric, Burns asks co-host Jane Hall, "What does B-I-T-C-H spell?". Jane Hall answers, "It rhymes with witch". You can see the video of them continue the discussion off the air here (click on "Behind the Breaks, Part 2)...

Behind the Breaks, Part 2

Professional journalism at work, and as always, "Fair and Balanced". *cough*my ass*cough*

The End Is Nearer Than You Think

If you're not scared yet, you should be. Seymour Hersh, who wrote in The New Yorker of Bush's plans for nuclear attacks on Iran using bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapons. Mr. Hersh writes that Bush's ultimate plan for Iran is regime change:

One former defense official, who still deals with sensitive issues for the Bush Administration, told me that the military planning was premised on a belief that “a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the government.” He added, “I was shocked when I heard it, and asked myself, ‘What are they smoking?’ ”

Yes, what ARE they smoking? Because I want to make sure I steer clear of smoking that particular brand of bat-shit crazy. One would presume that he'll need a declaration of war from congress, or a bogus "authorization for use of force if necessary" like was drafted prior to the invasion of Iraq. How much you wanna bet Bush will assert his "unitarian presidential authority" and just do what he want's to do, per usual. I wonder how George W. Bush would have handled the Cold War with Russia? Any guesses?

The New Yorker


Bush Planning Nuclear Attacks

Quote of the Day 4/8/06

Fair and Balanced. Jared Paul Stern, contributor to the Page Six gossip column of the New York Post made the following bone chilling statement. The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News Channel. It's like a game of six degrees of Rupert Murdoch, only not fun.

"We know how to destroy people," Mr. Stern said, according to a person reading a transcript of the meeting. "It's what we do. We do it without creating liability. That's our specialty."

From the Drudge Report: In Page Six Inquiry, Gossip Swirls Around Gossips

Face The Music Dance Man

It looks like the White House press corps finally got over their bout of laryngitis that plagued them yesterday morning. Scott McClellan was grilled like a cheese sandwich over statements he had made in 2003, however, I'm still searching for the actual questions and answers from today's blue plate special:

In a tense briefing, White House spokesman Scott McClellan was asked repeatedly to explain his statement from three years ago that portions of a prewar intelligence document on Iraq were declassified on July 18, 2003.

Ten days earlier, Cheney's top aide had leaked snippets of intelligence from the document to New York Times reporter Judith Miller in order to rebut allegations by Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, the aide has told prosecutors according to documents revealed this week.

I. Lewis Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, said he had passed the information to Miller after being told to do so by Cheney, who advised Libby that Bush had authorized it, stated a court filing by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.

McClellan told reporters on July 18, 2003, that the material being released on Iraq "was officially declassified today." On Friday, McClellan interpreted his own words to mean that's when the material was "officially released."

Asked when it was declassified, McClellan refused to answer, saying that the matter was part of Fitzgerald's ongoing CIA leak probe that has resulted in Libby's indictment.

After checking with Libby and presidential adviser Karl Rove, McClellan said in 2003 that neither aide was involved in the leak of the CIA identity of Wilson's wife. Rove remains under investigation in the leak probe.

Do you ever wonder what the inside of McClellan's stomach looks like? I picture it riddled with ulcers from the lie's he upholds, rotting from the inside out. How he keeps his composure, speaking with a straight face to the press corps is beyond me. I fully expect a complete nervous breakdown, followed by immediate pants wetting.

White House Faces Barrage of Leak Queries

He Spoke

"No, wait a sec, let him speak," Bush said. Yes! Yes, by all means, please! Kudos to this guy who had the courage to do what I wish I had the opportunity too...

A man who appeared to be in his 50s and bore a slight resemblance to John Kerry, Bush's defeated Democratic foe in the last election, said: "Okay, I don't have a question.

"What I wanted to say to you is that I -- in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by, my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and ...," the man said, as the audience began booing.

"No, wait a sec -- let him speak," Bush said.

"I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself," the man said.

Harry Taylor is my new hero. Bravo sir! Well done.

Critic tells Bush he should be 'ashamed of yourself'

Memory Lane

Over the next few days the conservative media will be spinning this leak story like a child's top. So when you hear someone parrot the spin that the President was well within his rights to declassify information, ask that person what Bush meant by the following statements:

"Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington. And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of... I want to know the truth. If anybody has got any information inside our administration or outside our administration, it would be helpful if they came forward with the information so we can find out whether or not these allegations are true and get on about the business." ~ George W Bush, September 30, 2003

"I think I made that very clear last week. The topic came up, and I said that if anyone in this administration was responsible for the leaking of classified information, they would no longer work in this administration. This is a very serious matter. The President made it very clear just a short time ago in the East Room, and he has always said that leaking of classified information is a serious matter. And that's why he wants to get to the bottom of this. And the sooner we get to the bottom of it, the better." ~ Scott McClellan, White House Press Briefing 10/6/03

"And, you know, there's a lot of leaking in Washington, D.C. It's a town famous for it. And if this helps stop leaks of -- this investigation in finding the truth, it will not only hold someone to account who should not have leaked -- and this is a serious charge, by the way. We're talking about a criminal action, but also hopefully will help set a clear signal we expect other leaks to stop, as well. And so I look forward to finding the truth." ~ GW Bush, October 2003

“It's best people wait until the investigation is complete before you jump to conclusions. I don't know all the facts. I want to know all the facts. I would like this to end as quickly as possible. If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration." ~ GW Bush, July 2005

Seems rather silly to take such a stance if there was no wrongdoing, don't you think?

S.O.S.

Could this be the iceburg that finally sinks this rotten, stinking ship?

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has testified that President Bush authorized him to disclose the contents of a highly classified intelligence assessment to the media to defend the Bush administration's decision to go to war with Iraq, according to papers filed in federal court on Tuesday by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby testified to a federal grand jury that he had received "approval from the President through the Vice President" to divulge portions of a National Intelligence Estimate regarding Saddam Hussein's purported efforts to develop nuclear weapons, according to the court papers. Libby was said to have testified that such presidential authorization to disclose classified information was "unique in his recollection," the court papers further said.

Libby also testified that an administration lawyer told him that Bush, by authorizing the disclosure of classified information, had in effect declassified the information. Legal experts disagree on whether the president has the authority to declassify information on his own.

The White House had no immediate reaction to the court filing.

This is HUGE folks. At least it should be. This administration has been able to evade its comeupance so far on a number of issues.

Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks

Don't You Know Who I Am?

What a freakin' waste of taxpayers dollars. A grand jury is needed yet. If Cynthia McKinney hit the officer, then she's in big trouble...as she should be! Look, I don't know if she did or didn't do it, although, considering she won't answer that question when directly asked, it is my assumption that she is guilty. Whatever. Who cares? If that had been me, your average citizen, who struck an officer, I would have been tackled, shackled, booked, and waiting for my husband to post my bail. Hey, if Zsa Zsa Gabor can spend several days in jail for slapping an officer, whoa Nelly, I can just imagine my fate!

I still don't understand why a woman who's been a member of Congress since 1988 (except for a brief 2003/04 loss), and one of only fourteen black congresswomen wouldn't be recognizable. Who knows? Maybe the officer was new or new"ish". Bottom line is, she overreacted and now she's in deep doo-doo. It's certainly not as terrible as say, oh I don't know...shooting someone in the face while quail hunting.

Sources: McKinney case heading to grand jury

You Can't Dance If You Want Too

I can dance if I want too, it's a free country ya know! Well, unless you're in New York City, then you better put the kibash on the urge to drop it like it's hot. Bars and restaurants in New York are required to have a particular license that allows dancing. I wonder how they define dancing? Is it just a little side to side swaying? Kind of moving to the beat without really moving your feet? And we've all chair danced at one time or another...come on, don't lie. Or do they mean an all out full body rump shankin', arms flailing and the whole bit? Perhaps they mean sycronized dancing, like The Electric Slide...it's so 'wedding reception', isn't it? In a free and democratic society, 'where wings take dream' (GWB Oct.2000), you'd think you could take it for granted that dancing isn't something that would be forbidden...it's all so 'Puritan'. Actually,it's a damn shame is what it is.

Love the Nightlife? Got to Boogie? Better Not Be in NYC

Some Say They're Full of Shit

"Some say" is a phrase that reporters, Fox News, and the current Republican administration have honed to an art form. It is used to present an argument that no one has actually made in order to place the seed of doubt in the minds of the media listener's, reader's, and watcher's. It paints a non-existent picture and presents it as fact. It is the height of dishonest journalism. I invite you to scruitinize the following article that pulls this exact stunt. I've linked it below, in the meantime here are some of the highlights starting with the title:

Some Say Iran's Weapons Come From Russia

Apr 4, 2:56 PM (ET)

By LEE KEATH

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Iran has unveiled with great fanfare a series of what it portrays as sophisticated, homegrown weapons - flying boats and missiles invisible to radar, torpedoes too fast to elude.

But experts said Tuesday it appears much of the technology came from Russia and questioned Iran's claims about the weapons' capabilities.

...[snip]...

The Hoot torpedo - the name means "whale" - closely resembles the Russian-made VA-111 Shkval, the world's fastest known underwater missile, developed in 1995, said Ruslan Pukhov of Moscow's Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

The Shkval attains high speeds by coating itself in a cocoon of air bubbles, reducing friction, and Pukhov said its technology was too sophisticated for the Iranians to produce themselves.

"Hypothetically, they could get access to the Shkval technology, but if so, I don't think they got it through Russian channels," he said.

Pukhov noted the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan once had a Soviet torpedo testing center on the remote mountain lake of Issyk-Kul. And he said that in the turmoil that followed the Soviet breakup, Kyrgyz authorities sold Shkvals to the Chinese, a major importer of Iranian oil.

Kanybek Tabaldiyev, a senior official with a Kyrgyz company that makes torpedo and other military hardware at Issyk-Kul, denied his company transferred sophisticated technology to Iran. He said it was possible weaponry had been acquired through other means. (all bold emphasis mine)

No where in that article is even one expert, let alone one person or even 'some' people, quoted as saying Iran aquired weapons from Russia. I challenge you to find it! As a matter of fact, an "expert", a Mr. Meir Javedanfar, and the only expert in the entire article to boot, is quoted as saying that he didn't think they were aquired through Russian channels. Dishonest journalism. That damn liberal media is setting up the prelude for the invasion of Iran. (wink)

Some Say Iran's Weapons Come From Russia

I Feel Safer

Homeland Security Official Arrested

By MICHELLE SPITZER, Associated Press Writer
23 minutes ago

MIAMI - The deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was arrested Tuesday for using the Internet to seduce what he thought was a teenage girl, authorities said.

Brian J. Doyle, 55, was arrested at his residence in Maryland on charges of use of a computer to seduce a child and transmission of harmful material to a minor. The charges were issued out of Polk County, Fla.

Doyle, of Silver Spring, Md., had a sexually explicit conversation with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl whose profile he saw on the Internet on March 14, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

The girl was an undercover Polk County Sheriff's Computer Crimes detective, the sheriff's office said.

Doyle sent the girl pornographic movie clips and had sexually explicit conversations via the Internet, the statement said.

During other online conversations, Doyle revealed his name, that he worked for the Homeland Security Department and offered his office and government issued cell phone numbers, the sheriff's office said.

Doyle also sent photos of himself to the girl, but authorities said they were not sexually explicit.

On several occasions, Doyle instructed her to perform a sexual act while thinking of him and described explicit activities he wanted to have with her, investigators said.

Doyle later had a telephone conversation with an undercover deputy posing as the teenager and encouraged her to purchase a web camera to send graphic images of herself to him, the sheriff's office said.

Ew.

It's So Not Hammer Time

In a neverending tale of corruption and scandal that is the Republican party, Tom DeLay, a.k.a. "The Hammer", announced his resignation today just a month after vowing to win re-election. Flip and flop! Let's comment on some of these comments, shall we?

"I have no fear whatsoever about any investigation into me or my personal or professional activities," DeLay said in a statement to constituents.

Well, that's a relief, since you ARE being investigated.

"I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative, personal campaign."

That's a shame because there is so much to work with there. Question Mr. DeLay...is it negative if it is true? Or is it just difficult to hear?

He said the voters of his Houston-area district "deserve a campaign about the vital national issues that they care most about ... and not a campaign focused solely as a referendum on me."

Yes, yes they do. I agree. And I'm sure you showed similar indignation during the 2004 presidential campaigns with regards to the trashing of John Kerry...correct? Or when you were on a roll with this one: "DeLay was the driving force behind President Clinton's impeachment in 1999, weeks after Republicans lost seats at the polls in a campaign in which they tried to make an issue of Clinton's personal behavior."

Bush said the Republican Party won't suffer from DeLay's decision to resign from Congress. "My own judgment is that our party will continue to succeed because we are the party of ideas."

Correction, party of BAD ideas.

"He has served our nation with integrity and honor," said Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who succeeded DeLay in his leadership post earlier this year.

You just keep telling yourself that, his indictments say otherwise.

"Tom Delay's announcement is just the beginning of the reckoning of the Republican culture of corruption that has gripped Washington for too long," said Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee. "From DeLay to Scooter Libby to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, to Duke Cunningham, to Bob Ney, to David Safavian, the list of goes on and on."

And that list tends to get a tad longer on a near daily basis, doesn't it?

"As difficult as this decision has been for me, it's not going to be a great day for liberal Democrats, either," DeLay said.

That remains to be seen. I will send you a nice bottle of Walmart's finest wine to wash down your humble pie. Just contact me with the name and address of whichever prison you end up in and don't forget to include your cell number.


DeLay Announces Resignation From House

The Good, The Bad, And The Truth

It was a busy weekend in Iraq, churning out scads of reporting that is sure to turn Sean Hannity into a rabid, blithering, spittle-flying, shrieking hag. Not that he doesn't already fit that description on any given day, but he has a particularly difficult time accepting that things aren't going well in Iraq, and he detests it when it is actually brought to the attention of the American public. Here are some headlines from the weekend and today, first the bad news:

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq


U.S. Says 9 More Soldiers Killed in Iraq


Gunmen Kill Shiite Family of 4 in Iraq


Many Iraqi Soldiers Wounded by Own Guns


5 Marines Die, 3 Missing in Iraq Accident


Sectarian Strife Fuels Gun Sales in Baghdad

And the good news:

Plays Give Iraq Kids Break From Violence

Of course, they are doing these plays because:

Sahira Karim has been keeping her 5-year-old daughter indoors these days because of fears of bombings, drive-by shootings and kidnapping. But on Sunday, Sahira's daughter joined dozens of other youngsters at a children's theater and dance festival in the upscale neighborhood of Mansour. It was a moment of joy, Sahira said after weeks of tension.

There, I highlighted a positive(?) story from Iraq. Solid proof that it is a smashing success! Woot!

Into The Mouths Of Babes

Way to go parents! Nothing like starting your children out at a total disadvantage and setting them up for a lifetime challenge of battle of the bulge. Yes, I'm the first to admit that toddlers are cute when they're a little chubby, with little dimples on their hands, that protruding toddler belly; but obese toddlers are not cute, it's just sad. They didn't do this to themselves, their parent's and/or guardians did.

My first entry today was about hospitals having to dip into their budgets to accommodate a rapid increase in obese patients, now makers of child safety seats are designing seats that accommodate obese children. Yes, standard size car seats are insufficient because some toddlers are too fat! Not just some toddlers, but enough of them that it has become necessary to build bigger seats. It infuriates me that parents (adults) have allowed the problem to get to this point. It is one thing for an adult to make poor choices that effect their own health. If they can live with obesity, then that is their right, but to make that choice for your children is borderline neglect. You're neglecting their nutritional needs! You're literally committing them to a lifetime of health related problems. You're clogging their arteries, making their little hearts work overtime... shame on you! Wagging my finger in your face...SHAME ON YOU!!!

A toddler cannot be held responsible for their nutritional choices. They eat what is provided. At the rate this problem is going, kids will be having heart attacks at 16 years old. The life expectancy age will decline rapidly if this epidemic continues...forget bird flu; gluttony is going to kill so many of us. To all the parents out there who've caused this problem for your children, keep this in mind: When the doctor diagnoses your child with type 2 diabetes, take a long look in the mirror...you did it, it is all your fault. You probably wouldn't dream of sticking a cigarette in your childs mouth, lighting it, and making sure they learn how to properly inhale, would you? What you're doing is just as dangerous and equally appalling.


Link to Article Child Obesity

Skip Dessert, Hit The Gym

Hopefully I won't offend or lose any readers over this particular entry, but I'm a firm believer in personal responsibility when it comes to one's own health and their choices. While I believe that hospitals should have the proper equipment to provide the very best care for the occasional obese patient, I think it is ridiculous that hospitals have to stretch their already exhausted budgets to accommodate a rapid increase in obese patients. Money that could be used for new technology and lab equipment, etc. is earmarked for construction to widen doorways, replacing existing beds to accommondate up to 500 pounds as opposed to the 350 pound existing limit, wider wheelchairs, longer needles that will penetrate the girth, toilets refit to the floor and not the wall so that they don't bust off while in use...

Sweet Jesus people! If you're busting the toilets off of walls and flipping beds when you sit up in them, that is a brick wall falling on you letting you know that it is time to do something about your weight. The existing equipment supports up to 350 pounds. Repeat after me: Three hundred and fifty pounds! Holy crap! Isn't that big enough?

Get active for Pete's sake. Walk a few times a week and do simple exercises right in your living room. Eat healthy and smaller portions. There is no quick fix, no miracle diet. Everything in moderation and a tremendous amount of good old fashioned will power will make a world of difference. I know or have heard from overweight people who claim they've tried every diet in the book and nothing worked. To that I say...horse-feathers! That's the problem right there; that particular line of thinking. A diet isn't a temporary solution...a diet is a complete lifestlye change, indefinetely. People give up when they don't get the results they want fast enough, so instead of continuing, they go back to their old, terribly unhealthy habits. I understand that there is a small percentage of people who will be obese no matter what, but the current trend does not reflect that. It reflects too much food and too little activity and now hospitals are having to spend unnecessarily because they are finding that on some days anywhere from one third to one half of their patients are obese.

Hospitals Make Changes to Care for Obese

It's A Mad, Mad World

I know it's April Fool's Day but the following, while a joke in itself, is not phony. The award for the most useless study, EVER, goes to...drumroll please...whether or not the power of prayer has any impact on the recovery of bypass surgery patients. The study is being called the largest of its kind and its findings are disappointing. It seems that the power of prayer does not have a positive impact and, in fact, those that were being prayed for fared worse. The study can't find any "clear explaination" for it. Although, the following may shed some light on it:

"One caveat is that with so many individuals receiving prayer from friends and family, as well as personal prayer, it may be impossible to disentangle the effects of study prayer from background prayer," Manoj Jain of Baptist Memorial Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, another author of the report.

The authors said one possible limitation to their study was that those doing the special praying had no connection or acquaintance with the subjects of their prayer, which would not usually be the norm.

Yes. That must be it.

Prayer Power Flop

Laziness Is Not A Handicap

Legislation is being proposed in some states, including Georgia and New Jersey, that would distribute temporary handicapped parking permits for pregnant women. Now, I'm not opposed to providing designated parking spots located closer to the entrance in particularly large parking lots, for pregnant women, but handicapped permits? That would mean that the woman could park in any handicapped parking spot, anywhere, no matter the size of the lot. Pregnancy is not a handicap. A pregnant woman is not handicapped. She may have trouble skiing, surfing, or even jogging during her late third trimester, but she isn't handicapped. She may not get around as quickly, and she may have to stop to catch her breath occassionaly, but she isn't handicapped.

Although, I did use the handicapped stall in the ladies room on occasion during my pregnancies. If you've ever tried to cram your 9 months of pregnancy self into one of those size 4 stalls, you'll understand. I found myself leaning as far back as possible trying to close the door past my enormous girth of pregnant belly, only to find myself unable to do so. My body fit, my belly did not. It was quite hilarious...you had to be there.

I'm appalled that pregnancy would be used to diminish the strength of women in an attempt to take advantage of the system to score a sweet parking spot. There are enough people out there unfortunate enough to really need those permits.

The kind of women who would take advantage of this are the same (non-pregnant) type of people who use the carry out service at the local grocery store. For those who aren't aware, this is where the box person pushes your cart to your car and unloads your goods for you, thus eliminating a much needed component (for those still inside the store) of the assembly line that expedites your grocery purchasing experience, leaving you to bag your own groceries, while trying to pay for them simoultaneously. Not really a big deal but it does irritate the ever loving crap out of me when obviously capable people are too lazy to push their own cart of groceries to their own car, their ownselves. Lord, don't get me started on that tangent!