Memorial Day

As noted over at Crooks and Liars, a sad milestone was hit this Memorial Day weekend -- 1,000 GI's dead in the Afghanistan war.

As we remember those that died serving in the military and fighting wars for our country, let's not forget that the two we are currently embroiled in are fruitless, pointless, not worth losing any lives over, let alone American lives, and it is draining our country's finances like no other war ever has. Americans are suffering at home because there is no money to fix our infrastructure, keep budgets on target (be they local, state or national), people are becoming homeless faster than at any time (outside of the Great Depression)(and that includes many veterans of these two wars), all because of the misguided and deceitful tale of the "evil" Muslims and the false story line that as a "Christian" nation, we must rid the world of the evil threat the "Muslims" pose.

As we mourn those that have died protecting this wonderful country, let us also remember that we do not have to be in Iraq or in Afghanistan (or Iran, or any other Arab nation). We were lied to by greedy oil men who used 9/11 as a backdrop to invade a country to take their oil. Look where's it taken us. Instead of having their oil, we are GIVING them OUR country's men and women AND billions of our country's dollars.

On a lighter note, my grandson and I went to Santa Monica beach for the day, yesterday. They had a nice memorial placed on the beach.




Here's the kid, warming himself in the sand.

And You Would Expect Anything LESS From Israel?

I am sick and tired of the excuses coming from Israel concerning their reasons for constantly choking off food, water and other resources from the Gaza strip (and other areas where they have control over Palestinians). But this just takes the cake.

At least nine people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says.

Armed forces boarded the largest vessel overnight, clashing with some of the 500 people on board.

It happened about 40 miles (64 km) out to sea, in international waters.

Israel says its soldiers were shot at and attacked with weapons; the activists say Israeli troops came on board shooting.

The activists were attempting to defy a blockade imposed by Israel after the Islamist movement Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007.

I have no ability to justify this government's actions. And they wonder why the world is, uh, mostly against them in how they are, uh "handling" their situation with the Palestinians? I think pretty much blockading them into an area, refusing even basic survival supplies to be provided to the people living there, not to mention the many times they just, shall we say, invaded the area and blanketed it with bombs, demolishing people's homes, businesses and livelihoods, speaks volumes about the evil that is inherent in the Israeli position.

Think Progress is on this as well.

UPDATE JUNE 1, 2010: This is our government's response:

“The situation is that they’re so isolated right now that it’s not only that we’re the only ones who will stick up for them,” said an American official. “We’re the only ones who believe them — and what they’re saying is true.”

Yeah, right. A flotilla of ships bringing aid to Gaza is a great danger to those poor Israelis ... my ass. Everything the Israelis do is overkill, and it's getting pretty ugly for the rest of the world to watch. America's relationship with the rest of the Arab countries that it actually has somewhat fragile relations with, like Turkey, may just end over this government's tepid response to Israel's invasion and subsequent killings on the ships.

Big, bad Israel had to defend itself against people with sticks and stones, basically. It's always like that. Bomb the shit out of defenseless people, but continue to always claim that they have to do that because they are so "threatened" by the danger posed toward them by said defenseless peoples.

If you can't co-exist with your Arab neighbors, then leave ... as the saying goes. The option to nuke your neighbors is not on the table. Get over it.

UPDATE 2: Seems a lot of people on the net are all over this, categorizing Israel's actions as an act of war based on the fact that the Turkish ship they stormed was in international waters.

Speaking of the legality of the raid, I’m going to paste this in its entirety, thanks to Mondoweiss and Craig Murray, ex UK Ambassador and one time Foreign Office specialist on maritime law:

“A word on the legal position, which is very plain. To attack a foreign flagged vessel in international waters is illegal. It is not piracy, as the Israeli vessels carried a military commission. It is rather an act of illegal warfare.

Because the incident took place on the high seas does not mean however that international law is the only applicable law. The Law of the Sea is quite plain that, when an incident takes place on a ship on the high seas (outside anybody’s territorial waters) the applicable law is that of the flag state of the ship on which the incident occurred. In legal terms, the Turkish ship was Turkish territory.

There are therefore two clear legal possibilities.

Possibility one is that the Israeli commandos were acting on behalf of the government of Israel in killing the activists on the ships. In that case Israel is in a position of war with Turkey, and the act falls under international jurisdiction as a war crime.

Possibility two is that, if the killings were not authorised Israeli military action, they were acts of murder under Turkish jurisdiction. If Israel does not consider itself in a position of war with Turkey, then it must hand over the commandos involved for trial in Turkey under Turkish law.

In brief, if Israel and Turkey are not at war, then it is Turkish law which is applicable to what happened on the ship. It is for Turkey, not Israel, to carry out any inquiry or investigation into events and to initiate any prosecutions. Israel is obliged to hand over indicted personnel for prosecution.

Holy Shit!

The United States Of BP

I have absolutely no ability to comprehend what is wrong with our government regarding the BP oil problem. At first, when the right wing nutjobs were calling it "Obama's Katrina," I was like, ok, here goes the noise machine again.

But the total failure of Obama and his gang to do ANYTHING is just mind boggling.

A fisherman who was hospitalized after becoming ill while cleaning up oil in the Gulf of Mexico has filed a temporary restraining order in federal court against oil company BP.

[snip]

In his affidavit, Wunstell described his experience at the hospital.

"At West Jefferson, there were tents set up outside the hospital, where I was stripped of my clothing, washed with water and several showers, before I was allowed into the hospital," Wunstell said. "When I asked for my clothing, I was told that BP had confiscated all of my clothing and it would not be returned."

And doesn't this sound eerily familiar to this?“

But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President [Bush], I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast — black and white, rich and poor, young and old — deserve far better from their national government.

-----

Increased national attention was on the Gulf Coast yesterday when President Obama made a visit to assess the oil spill response effort. An official in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, is reporting that BP “bused 400 cleanup workers into Grand Isle” — at a rate of $12 an hour — to be there when Obama arrived.

I could go on and on with the comparisons, but we've been hearing and seeing the incompetency of both BP's and our government's reaction to this oil problem for more than a month now.

I'll just close with this from PBS, which is a pictorial of the damage to the wildlife in the region.

It's enough to break your heart.

Basketball Finals

Noah Graham/NBA/Getty Images

I guess since I AM the sports pig, I should congratulate the Lakers for making it to the finals.

I actually don't like the Lakers, I'm a Clippers fan (stop laughing). I used to love the Lakers when Magic, et al. were the team. 1970's, 1980's, they were my team. But with Kobe and the new kids ... I'm not such a fan anymore.

But, at least we have the continuation of historical match-ups for the finals, L.A. and Boston.

Billy Boy, No One Gives A Shit About You Anymore!

Former President Bill Clinton returned to his home state Friday to help a beleaguered ally and delivered a broadside against some of the most powerful interests in the Democratic Party.

Using unusually vivid language to describe the threat against Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Clinton urged the voters who nurtured his career to resist outside forces bent on making an example out of the two-term Democratic incumbent.

He pounded the podium with Lincoln at his side, warning that national liberal and labor groups wanted to make her a “poster child” in the June 8 Senate run-off to send a message about what happens to Democrats who don’t toe the party line.

“This is about using you and manipulating your votes to terrify members of Congress and members of the Senate,” Clinton said in the gym of a small historically black college here.

Um, yeah, that's about right, Mr. Clinton! When the Democratic party, and the President promise "Change You Can Believe In," and then give is "The Same Old Song And Dance," then of course we liberals are going to do our damnest to unseat those Democrats that are not towing the party line. And I don't mean the corporate party line, I mean the people party line. Blanche Lincoln must go, and I for one, am proud to say that I have contributed not once, but twice, to Bill Halter's campaign! Thank god for ActBlue.

Get Over Yourself, Miley Cyrus - You Just Aren't All That

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus has no desire to hear her songs performed on Glee - insisting she is not a fan of the hit TV series.

The singer/actress shot to fame playing a singing school student on Disney's Hannah Montana, but unlike Lady Gaga and Madonna, who have had their music showcased on Glee, the 17 year old can't stand the programme.

She tells Billboard, "Honestly, musicals? I just can't. What if this was real life and I was just walking down the street on Rodeo Drive and all of a sudden I just burst into song about how much I love shoes?... (But) it would get hits on YouTube."

I really have to laugh at this one. She's turned into one hell of a snob, and to be honest, her show was rather stupid (I've only seen a few episodes, though, because my grandson has started watching stuff like ICarly, among other teen shows, and since I monitor his television watching, I have to watch the shows with him). She overacts, and yeah, she can sing, but mostly in just an average way. It's not like she has a vocal range of say, Mariah Carey (laughing). I do not see her having much of a career as an adult. Sorry honey, but you're no Glee performer. And for the record, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that show! I don't care that it has no real basis in reality, it's a fun show to watch, and as a singer (and dancer), the music and dance scenes are great. And Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch)? Ha ha ha, the best meanie on television by far!

Pass The Salt, Please

With salt under attack for its ill effects on the nation’s health, the food giant Cargill kicked off a campaign last November to spread its own message.

“Salt is a pretty amazing compound,” Alton Brown, a Food Network star, gushes in a Cargill video called Salt 101. “So make sure you have plenty of salt in your kitchen at all times.”

[snip]

By all appearances, this is a moment of reckoning for salt. High blood pressure is rising among adults and children. Government health experts estimate that deep cuts in salt consumption could save 150,000 lives a year.

Since processed foods account for most of the salt in the American diet, national health officials, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Michelle Obama are urging food companies to greatly reduce their use of salt. Last month, the Institute of Medicine went further, urging the government to force companies to do so.

[snip]

Now, the industry is blaming consumers for resisting efforts to reduce salt in all foods, pointing to, as Kellogg put it in a letter to a federal nutrition advisory committee, “the virtually intractable nature of the appetite for salt.”

Well, DUH. You put it in EVERYTHING so that our diets are so fucked up with 20 times the amount of daily intake of salt that we are told is acceptable. Hell, even I have to take blood pressure medicine and watch my intake. I've actually switched to fake salt, potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride, and I use kosher salt for cooking (you need just a small amount to get that taste that tons of table salt gives you).

But, hey, by now we know most Americans are stupid ... the dumbed down era we live in, Mickey D's and chicken nuggets and all. Watching the "naked chef" Jamie Oliver's short television show about trying to help American school's change their food program was disheartening. Oliver's efforts were not the disheartening part, it was the pushback from the school system and the government that was shocking.

So, let's keep on being obese and more importantly, eat more salt!

The Perfect Game

In baseball, the "perfect game" is one where the pitcher allows no one to get on base in any fashion. No walks, not hit batters, and certainly no "hits."

Yesterday, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay threw what is a rare game, only 20 in the history of major league baseball. Hell, they even interrupted the Hawks/Flyers game (well, it's a Philly team, duh) to show the final out!

Congratulations, dude!

RIP Dennis Hopper

Just read this morning that he died yesterday.

Even though most remember Easy Rider as a Peter Fonda film, you have to remember that Hopper directed it. For a Hollywood rebel, he sure had nine lives. I am sad to see him gone at 74.

Spoiler alert - here is a link to my post about the Arizona immigration law, that features the final scene in the movie Easy Rider.

RIP, bro, the world will miss you.

YAY CHICAGO! One Game Under Their Belt

Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Image


Game one was sure interesting. High score (6-5) for a hockey game these days. It was tit-for-tat scoring, too.

Boy, I sure hate Pronger. When he was with St. Louis, he was always the nemeses of the L.A. Kings come playoff time. Sure hope Chicago takes this.

Using one of my two Chicago shot glasses for cocktails tonight!

CIF MASTERS (whatever!)

My coworker was a track star back in high school when he attended Beverly Hills High School. He's the (un)official (?) keeper of records, and the link above is to his website. He actually held a record for some distance or event until like two years ago when he convinced one of the kids at BHHS to change his field and run in a different type of distance, suggesting that if the kid changed it, he'd beat my friend's long standing record ... which the kid did.

Anyway, tonight was the city finals that would send contenders to the State finals in Fresno. My grandson loves to run, as many of you know (he's run a few blocks to one mile in the L.A. Marathon since he was two, damn it!), so we all went to the event. Despite the fact that it was kind of hot outside, it quickly got cold and both my grandson and I were sorely under dressed. But, we made it through most of the important races, and BHHS had two kids that are going to the State finals. Neither of us brought cameras, so I shot a few pictures from my cell phone.

RIP Gary Coleman

When I came back to Los Angeles after a short stint living in Lake Oswego, Oregon (a suburb of Portland), I went to work for an entertainment litigator, and we represented both Dana Plato and Gary Coleman in their bid to become emancipated (meaning becoming adults before they were 18). Because both of them actually fit the qualifications to be emancipated, we did, in fact, get that done. I truly do not remember meeting either Dana or Gary (just remember all the typing back then, pre-computer and having to use carbon copy paper, no xerox copiers!)

I did enjoy the show when it was on the air, though, I have to admit. Coleman's character was hilarious especially when he uttered his famous catch phrase.

It was sad to see him as a grown up, though. In fact, all of the Different Strokes kids had problems, and now two of the three of them are dead.

Sad.

UPDATE: Off Broadway's Avenue Q to pay tribute to Gary this next Friday.

Another Obama Brief That's On The Wrong Side Of The Issue

If you thought the briefs filed by the DOJ in SUPPORT of the DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) were spectacular in their brazenness (including likening gay marriage to pedophilia and bestiality), then you'll just love the Solicitor General's new brief in opposition to the suits filed by individuals against the Catholic priests that molested them.

Before the Supreme Court, the Obama administration's Solicitor General is siding with the Vatican's interpretation of the U.S. law:

In a filing on Friday, the solicitor general's office argued that the Ninth Circuit court of appeals erred in allowing the lawsuit brought by a man who claims he was sexually abused in the 1960s by the Oregon priest.

The unnamed plaintiff, who cited the Holy See and several other parties as defendants, argued the Vatican should be held responsible for transferring the priest to Oregon and letting him serve there despite previous accusations he had abused children in Chicago and in Ireland.

The solicitor general's office, which defends the position of President Barack Obama's administration before the Supreme Court, said the Ninth Circuit improperly found the case to be an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, a 1976 federal law that sets limits on when other countries can face lawsuits in US courts.

"Although the decision does not conflict with any decision of another court of appeals, the Court may wish to grant the petition, vacate the judgement of the court of appeals and remand to that court for further consideration".

Spelling and grammatical errors in original left intact.

H/T to AMERICAblog.

For My Friend, Arno - Guinness Could Be Really Good For You!

The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers.

A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as a low dose aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks.

[snip]

Guinness was told to stop using the slogan decades ago - and the firm still makes no health claims for the drink.

The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of stout against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease.

They found that those given the Guinness had reduced clotting activity in their blood, but not those given lager.

Raising my mug and passing one to Arno! Cheers, baby!

Yell, Baby, Yell

According to a pool report, a man yelled out: “Move faster on ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell.’ ”

“It’s good to see ya,” Obama replied as the crowd started to boo. The man continued to shout remarks that were inaudible to media in the room.

The interruption was the second time Obama was stopped during remarks for Boxer over the course of about a month.

In late April, Obama appeared at an event for the California senator in Los Angeles, when he was shouted down by a group of gay-rights protesters also upset with the administration's handling of the issue. The president referenced the incident on Tuesday.

"I have to say, you know what? I saw this guy down in LA," Obama said. "Two points I want to make ... he really should, like, buy a ticket to, if he wants to demonstrate, buy a ticket to a guy who doesn’t support his point of view."

Obama is sounding more and more like Bush. I read on a blog the guy was arrested, but unfortunately, I cannot confirm that at this time.

Obama's smarmy remarks are a sure sign he's becoming unraveled as his tenure in office goes on. I'm still all for keeping a majority in congress, and hope that the netroots support through ActBlue continues to put forth progressives that will actually do something to save this country. But I'm done with Obama's sorry ass, and we'd better be fielding a challenger in 2012.

As Janet Jackson once sang, "what have you done for me lately?

Someone PLEASE Do Something About BP

According to two surviving crew members of the Deepwater Horizon, oil workers from the rig were held in seclusion on the open water for up to two days after the April 20 explosion, while attorneys attempted to convince them to sign legal documents stating that they were unharmed by the incident. The men claim that they were forbidden from having any contact with concerned loved ones during that time, and were told they would not be able to go home until they signed the documents they were presented with.

Unbelievable! And a double whammy on Americans if they are awake -- a corporation AND an oil drilling company. Spinning from the moment the disaster hit, and they haven't stopped.

In refusing to rely on BP's data on the toxicity of dispersants, Jackson said, "I'd rather have my own scientists do their own analysis."

Finally! The Obama administration has been so lame as to let the samples taken from the ocean to be analyzed for the extent of the oil in the sea, be sent to a facility that, um, shall we say, works for BP! At the time the original order went out, I believe only one city manager said he was sending it to his own lab and not BPs. Good for him. And it's taken the Obama administration what, over a month now, to actually start throwing temper tantrums because of the slow actions on the part of BP.

Actually, it seems more like Congress is waking up. Obama is still sleepwalking through this catastrophe.

634-5789

Hitting the sheets, listening to Wilson Pickett's "634-5789" which I can't find on You Tube. Oh well!

Next time I change my phone number, I think I'm going to try for that one!

In A 1980's Musical Mood!

Although I embraced the metal bands including the hair bands (laughs), I also was into the new wave sounds. Am in that mood tonight, so playing a lot of 80's music that's not metal.

Enjoy!

Erasure - Chains Of Love



Bananarama - Venus



Echo & The Bunnymen - Lips Like Sugar



Howard Jones - Things Can Only Get Better



Missing Persons - Walking In LA



Psychedilic Furs - Love My Way



Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music - Slave to Love



Scandal - Goodbye To You



Wang Chung - To Live And Die In L.A. (MY FAVE) - made William Petersen an icon in classic movies.



OK, So I am going to close this 80's retro with Wham. Shoot me!

Wham - Wake Me Up

Glam Rock Lives On

Fun montage of my era. Enjoy.

High Five To Bret Michaels

I am so not a fan of this show. I can't stand Donald Trump (and his comb over is still disgusting).

But, as any rocker fan knows, Bret nearly died this last month, and knowing that he was on this show, and most of the episodes were completed before his medical conditions almost killed him, coupled with the fact that I knew (read) that he WOULD be appearing on the finale, made me want to turn into the show and watch it.

First off, I am a huge Poison fan from back in the day. And, sad to say, I watched all the episodes of Rock of Love, so smack me. I like all of the members of Poison, but Bret seemed to keep the personality of the band alive, while the other members were off dealing with their addictions and whatnot.

So, even if he got the "sympathy" vote, props to Bret for winning Celebrity Apprentice!

Most of Poison video's are non-embeddable, but here's "Unskinny Bop" ... poor quality, but still fun!

Four MAKE THAT SEVEN Lost Teeth, But On To The Stanley Cup!

Jamie Squire / Getty Images

UPDATE: Keith lost SEVEN teeth!

Chicago’s top defenseman was hit by a puck off the stick San Jose’s Patrick Marleau(notes) during the second period of Sunday’s 4-2 victory over the Sharks that clinched the Western Conference title and a trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

Keith returned to the game and finished with a game-high 29 minutes, two seconds of ice time. He lost four bottom teeth and three more on top.

Duncan Keith loses four teeth (see video here) and misses just a few shifts, as Chicago takes it to San Jose in four games, and goes on to the Stanley Cup finals! And with a player named

Chicago Blackhawks Dave Bolland (C) celebrates his goal against San Jose Sharks with team mates Duncan Keith (L), Kris Versteeg and Ben Eager during the second period in Game 4 of their NHL Western Conference final hockey game in Chicago, May 23, 2010. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes

Byfuglien (pronounced "buflyn) how can you not win? The Blackhawks are looking to end the longest championship drought in the NHL, having not won the Stanley Cup since 1961 nor been there since 1992.

As I've always said, only in hockey do real men get injured and come right back out.

Jason Heyward managed to play through the discomfort caused by a sore left thumb for more than a week. But presented the opportunity to rest the minor ailment for two consecutive days, the Braves right fielder was scratched from the starting lineup Sunday afternoon vs. the Pirates.

In an effort to minimize the amount of time the team is without the services of right fielder Andre Ethier, the Dodgers medical staff has replaced the original splint on the little finger of Ethier's right hand with a more pliable one that allows him some freedom of movement in the first knuckle, where Ethier has a small fracture.

"The things I went through were very difficult, not knowing if my body would make it to the end of the season," said [Paul] Pierce, who dealt with a right knee infection, a strained left midfoot, and a sprained right thumb. "The knee, the foot, the hand -- and there were a couple injuries that didn't even get mentioned to you guys because so many other things were going on -- I didn't think I'd make it through the season. Truthfully, I'm glad I was able to work through it, get back to 100 percent, and get things going the way they're going now."

UPDATE: Sheesh, since I posted this, I've had about 50 hits, all from people searching "Duncan Keith Loses Teeth!"

A Birthday Bash Tonight!

I went to a good friend's 60th birthday party tonight. Man, it was a bash, and I am going to be hard pressed to beat it in spectacularness.

Anyway, it was a fabulous bunch. I knew the birthday girl since 1984 and we cross paths in our business world (although, she's always invited to our office Christmas parties!)

I met lots of people that I didn't really know, despite "hearing" about them from time to time, so it was night to put a face to a name, so to speak.

At our dinner seating, which was not prearranged, on my right was seated a lady that was raised (maybe born there, I forget) in Hawai'i. And she studied ballet ... how coincidental!

I actually wore this bracelet that was my mothers which she bought in Hawai'i in the 1960's, made up of indigenous beans and nuts. Nice to be seated next to someone that enjoyed the aloha spirit ... and could hula, too!

Nice video, Uluwehi Gerrero and Pual Liliehua.




Then Chubby Checkers" "The Twist" came on. I was channeling Jane Krakowski!. I've spent over an hour trying to find (again) the video of her and Chubby Checker doing the twist on" Alley McBeal." Hey, you hit a dry spell now and then!

(cough, cough, exhaling ...) Um, and yeah, some of us took a break (tee hee hee) Pass the dutchie on the left hand side (grins).

A Day Or Two Until The Fucking End Of The World As We Know It

“I think we’ve corrected the imbalance we’ve had in the past and now have our curriculum headed straight down the middle,” said McLeroy, one of seven social conservatives on the board. “I’m very pleased with what we’ve accomplished.

Yeah, and if you believe that ... here's the noose to hang around your neck.

Well, we need to hit the deepest depths of degradation in order to begin to become the world leader. This is just the latest step in that degrading process.

Pure Imagination

There is this commercial airing on tv that uses this song. It took me several weeks to figure out it was the song in the original Willy Wonka movie.

I didn't try to google it or anything. I really wanted to check my brain and try to figure out if I could discover where I knew this song.

Now that I've solved that irritating question ... on to the next.

Bill Clinton to stump for Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas

Yeah, that's almost as stupid as letting Monica suck your dick, dude.

And who the fuck REALLY CARES if it was a prior commitment? I mean, you had a commitment to Hillary and you blew her off ...LOL.

Bill, do the right thing. Pass on Blanche. It's not like she's going to suck your dick or anything.

Sending more of MY MONEY to Bill Halter, damn it.

Who Are You?

I'm still curious who you are that read my blog religiously! Arno has confessed (sending a pint of Guinness to him), but seriously, who is Mountain View that logs on regularly? Who works at the Los Angeles Veterans Hospital that logs on several times a day? There are a handful of you guys that I know your ISP's and you regularly view my blog, but don't comment. Come on, you know you want to say something!!!!!

POISNER, NO WHITMAN, NO POISNER, NO WHITMAN

With the California primary elections coming up, the airwaves are inundated with the two Republican major candidates for Governor, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman.

What I find funny about their commercials is that both of them call each other a LIBERAL! (ok, trust me, I am laughing). This is all the Republicans have? Calling each other a LIBERAL?

Obviously, to me, the Democratic candidate is going to be Jerry Brown, but I am having fun watching the two Republican majority candidates' ads that are so full of shit and lies it's funny. He's a liberal. She's a liberal.

Somehow, I am getting the "message" that these candidates are trying to play out to the Californians ... being a LIBERAL is BAD, BAD, BAD!

Laughing all the way to the ballot box!

BP Using Coast Guard To Threaten CBS With Arrest

(I have tried and tried and tried to use the embed tool provided, but although in my "preview page" I can see the video, it won't put the video up. Hopefully, you can link to it).


This is unfuckingbelievable! First, BP won't let scientists anywhere near the leak to determine the EXACT amount of oil that is spewing into the ocean. They REFUSE! Fucking corporation refuses to let government near the leak site to survey the damage. Anyone with thoughts that corporations do NOT control the American system of government should find this obstruction confirmation.

And now, BP has COAST GUARD military personnel on board their little boats at the coast, and are refusing to let the media in to take pictures! BP using American military to threaten to arrest CBS crews if they continue filming!

Where are we, Cuba?

OBAMA, WHERE ARE YOUR BALLS? This is the most unbelievable and worst disasters this country has seen, and you can't even get to the bottom of this unless and until BP decides? Of course, BP is divesting itself of any funds as quickly as possible so that, yup, you guessed it, at some point in time, the U.S. taxpayer will have to pay for BPs damage to the ecostructure. Of course, that will be after BP pockets all the profits they can and then screw America.

I need to start drinking early tonight, damn it.

H/T to AMERICAblog.

Such A Richie Furay Fan, Sorry

"Kind Woman"

Of course, I'm hitting the high harmony notes, singing the song.

Couldn't choose between Steve Stills or Richie Furay (although my first husband looked like Stills and played guitar like him) ... ummmmmm.

Jake Shimabukuro LIVE Concert: Crazy G

The quintessential Jake ... playing the uke with no added acoustics or pedals!

I still have about ten ukes in the house ... my family makes them. I used to teach uke classes to kids, and I sure miss that.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

"And When I Die ... "



"Spinning Wheels ..."

Forgot About Arkansas

Looks like my donation to Halter through ActBlue (like many, many, many of us netroot liberals) may have helped him force Lincoln into a run-off since she didn't get more than 50% of the vote. I want her sorry Blue Dog ass out of congress.

Already one of the most vulnerable incumbents seeking re-election this year, Lincoln will run against Halter alone in a June 8 runoff.

[snip]

Lincoln, 49, portrayed herself as a centrist in her re-election fight. But she faced anger from both the left and right, particularly over the health care debate. When Halter joined the race in March, he was embraced by groups on the left that had grown frustrated with Lincoln's positions on issues such as health care and trade.

D-Day In Pennsylvania

UPDATE: Looks like they are calling this one for Sestak. Check back later if I have to make any corrections.

Take that DSCC and ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA! Look what your money bought ya ... NADA! High Five to all the netroots that supported Sestak and donated.

It will be interesting to see who wins -- Obama or Progressives. So far, Sestak and Specter are apparently tied in this race.

I'm rooting for the likes of the progressive backed candidate supported by the netroots (MoveOn and Democracy for America for example). It would be sweet to put the dead fish at the foot of the Obama Administration and show them how much they need to respect those that put them there in the first place.

Rep: 'Single Ladies' Girls Did 'Nothing Provocative'

Rep: 'Single Ladies' Girls Did 'Nothing Provocative'

Interesting story. As a dancer, I generally don't like seeing the little girls do grown up dancing, but I have to admit, I liked the video of the competition. I really didn't see anything that was too provocative in this little video, and I sort of thought it was rather cute.

What's your opinion?

OMG! GUESS WHO IS MISS USA?

"...right-wingers are enraged over Fakih’s crowning:

– Conservative radio host Debbie Schlussel blamed Fakih’s win on a supposed “politically correct, Islamo-pandering climate” in America and labeled her a “Lebanese Muslim Hezbollah supporter with relatives who are top terrorists.” [5/16/10]

– Right wing pundit and Fox contributor Michelle Malkin ranted that “Fakih’s cheerleaders are too busy tooting the identity politics horn to care what comes out of her mouth” and that “the Miss USA pageant didn’t want to risk the wrath of the open-borders mob.” [5/16/10]

– Conservative author Daniel Pipes, who was briefly appointed by former President George W. Bush to the U.S. Institute of Peace, opined that “this surprising frequency of Muslims winning beauty pageants makes me suspect an odd form of affirmative action.” [5/16/10]

– Fox News’s Gretchen Carlson complained that Woolard’s “informed opinion” may have cost her the crown, and said that Fakih may have won because we live in a “PC society.” [5/17/10]"

Another interesting piece by Think Progress, on, of all things, the crowning of a Lebanese American as Miss USA. First of all, who even watches these pageants anymore? Secondly, why do the right wing nut jobs want to continue to portray "Americans" as only blond and blue-eyed? We are a nation of immigrants. What happened to our heterogeneousnes?

Who Is Running The Hen House?

From Think Progress:

Transocean, Ltd., the giant oil contractor that leased its Deepwater Horizon rig to BP, held a “closed-door meeting” with shareholders Friday, “just days after” executives appeared before Congress to explain the company’s role in the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill. As ThinkProgress noted, the meeting took place at the company’s headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, where Transocean relocated two years ago to avoid paying taxes. Though CEO Steven Newman “ignored questions from reporters,” the company said in a statement that it would distribute $1 billion in dividends to shareholders:

The revelation that Transocean is distributing a $1 billion profit to shareholders as one of its drill sites leaks millions of gallons of oil into the sea is sure to inflame an already smarting debate over offshore drilling and the company’s role.[...]

To put the distribution in perspective, the amount of profit that Transocean plans to pay out in the next year is half of what Exxon ultimately paid for the Exxon Valdez disaster off the Alaska Coast.

It’s also more than double what BP has said they’ve spent on the cleanup to date.

Meanwhile, Transocean has “passionately argued” to limit its financial responsibility for the disaster. The company filed a court request last week to cap its liability under $27 million, a paltry sum considering BP has already spent over $450 million on cleanup, and analysts estimate the effort could ultimately cost up to $8 billion. As Raw Story notes, Transocean has actually made money from the disaster, collecting over $400 million from insurers, leaving it with a profit of $270 million after the costs of the rig are subtracted. As maritime attorney Jeff Seely told NPR, “They are the only people who have been compensated for this tragedy. The decedents [of the 11 workers killed in an explosion on the rig] haven’t been the compensated. The injured people who still are suffering, all the fishermen out in the Gulf that can no longer work haven’t been compensated.”

I am at a total loss as to how to put my brain around this. Pay out a billion dollars to the shareholders, now, COLLECT the insurance money, now, have your lobbyists try to limit your liability to others to just twenty-seven million dollars NOW -- but don't give any money to the survivors of the blown-up mother fucking rig, don't give any money to the relatives of those killed from the blown-up mother fucking rig, and above all else, deny culpability.

The piece last night on 60 minutes was an eye-opener. See it here.

The top Interior Department official who oversees offshore oil and gas drilling for the Minerals Management Service will retire on May 31, The Washington Post has learned.

Too little, too late. And to top it off, the stupid, STUPID, stupid Obama administration has put Jonathan I. Katz (called by this administration "one of the best scientific minds") with three others on a panel to look into the BP oil spill and to stop it.

Who is Jonathan I. Katz, you ask? Well, global warming denier, to start off with:

Who is stoking the alarm about global warming? There is Al Gore, an over-the-hill politician who wants to remain in the public eye. His house uses 20 times as much electricity as the average American house and he flies private jets. Obviously, he does not believe what he preaches; it must be an act.

Secondly, an avowed homophobe:

In Defense of Homophobia

Jonathan I. Katz

Homophobia is the moral judgement that homosexual behavior (most of the arguments in this essay refer specifically to male homosexual behavior) is wrong. Homophobia is not like ethnic, racial or religious prejudice, which deny the intrinsic moral rights and value of other people. Rather, it is a moral judgement upon acts engaged in by choice.

Spelling errors left intact!

One of the best scientific minds so says the Obama administration. (scratching head on this one). In what way, say I? Believes global warming is a hoax, yeah, that's up there with the rest of the "best scientific minds." Homophobia is ok and is simply a moral "judgment?" Like cooties? And people who wipe their boogers on walls?

I said it before, and I'll say it again. You really know we are in trouble when the POTUS cannot discern the smart people from the idiots.

UPDATE ALERT: Katz has been dropped from this panel.

Jonathan I. Katz, a professor of astrophysics at Washington University in St. Louis, ''will no longer be involved in the [Energy] Department's efforts'' at addressing the oil spill continuing to spread in the Gulf of Mexico, a Department spokeswoman relayed on Monday night, May 17.

The news came after what the spokesperson, Stephanie Mueller, termed ''controversial writings'' – which included a ''defense of homophobia'' – spread out over the web on Monday, writings of which she said the Department was unaware when it sought his assistance.

Dio Dead

Ronnie James Dio, a singer with the bands Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, whose powerful, semioperatic vocal style and attachment to demonic imagery made him one of the best-loved figures in classic heavy metal, died on Sunday morning, according to an announcement on his Web site by his wife, Wendy. He was 67.

I was still more an Ozzie fan of the band, but a loss, is still a loss.

RIP, bro.

Interesting Tag Art

This tag art, as show by as best a picture I could take of the wall, just showed up Saturday morning. It was not there Friday night when I went to bed. It is on the side of the gas station that abuts the alley, and is not seen from the main street, although if you are going eastbound on 6th toward La Brea, it will most definitely catch your eye.

I can honestly say I have not seen a piece of tag art up front and personal as good as this. I hope the gas station has no intention of painting over it -- usually most graffiti is painted over by the businesses that are on La Brea within at least two days after they get tagged. But this ... this is a work of art!

Blackhawks Take Game One

Zaire doesn't look happy, but that's not because his team won. Lately, he gets all cry baby when it's time to leave my house and go home. I'm sure it's just a phase he's going through, but right now he's in the "I want to live at Grandma's house" phase. But, I gave him my notebook computer and set up his own e-mail and yahoo account, so he can talk to me when he's at home, as well as chat with his dad (who I am sure bought him the Blackhawk's jersey, since he lives in Chicago!)

Sad Saga Of The Drill, Baby, Drill Crowd

Crude oil sits on the surface of the water that has leaked from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans, Louisiana. An estimated leak of 1,000 barrels of oil a day are still leaking into the gulf. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)


Gulf oil spill begins to reach land
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Scientists are finding enormous oil plumes in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, including one as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick in spots. The discovery is fresh evidence that the leak from the broken undersea well could be substantially worse than estimates that the government and BP have given.

[snip]

The plumes are depleting the oxygen dissolved in the gulf, worrying scientists, who fear that the oxygen level could eventually fall so low as to kill off much of the sea life near the plumes.

[snip]

BP has resisted entreaties from scientists that they be allowed to use sophisticated instruments at the ocean floor that would give a far more accurate picture of how much oil is really gushing from the well.

“The answer is no to that,” a BP spokesman, Tom Mueller, said on Saturday. “We’re not going to take any extra efforts now to calculate flow there at this point. It’s not relevant to the response effort, and it might even detract from the response effort.”

That last part made me laugh. Of course, not in the funny, he ha, manner, but in the ironic chuckle, that head tilting sort of acknowledgment, that "duh" they are not going to let anyone near the spill that would reveal the truth of the matter! Read the full article.

Oh, and how's that oily, drilly thing working out for ya, baby?

Another Obama Failure - Siding With Specter Against Sestak

Most of us that voted for Obama did so because we were hoping that the change promised would manifest itself during his presidency. As soon as Obama let Rahm Emanuel into his circle as his Chief of Staff, a huge gasp was heard around America from the liberal camp. Most of us remember how Emanuel as head of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee butted heads with Howard Dean as head of the Democratic National Committee, and who won that battle (Dean did, with his 50 state strategy and placing good money on good candidates in all 50 states, which is how we ended up with the damn congressional majority in the first place). In fact, had we gone the route of Emanuel and his committee choices, the democrats would still be the minority.

Well, they're at it again in Pennsylvania. The DNC is pouring good money in there to support Specter (you know, the guy that was a Republican for most of his political career but suddenly switched sides recently -- and still can't be counted on for a permanent vote anyway) against Sestak. Even the arm of Obama's political campaign unit that morphed from the netroots support into the Organizing for America is in on it.

Sigh ... you know this president is a failure when he can't even tell the good guys from the bad guys. Well, we know how well Obama's support helped out in Massachusetts with the vote to replace Ted Kennedy's seat.

My only hope is that the Pennsylvania democrats will recognize and support a true blue candidate against one that is more purple ...

More "Look At My Lips, Not What Your Eyes Show You" Crap

Over at Crooks and Liars, they have this big post about the oil spill and how BP is supposedly losing $350 million a day. Of course, that doesn't square with the story over at Think Progress that says BP has spent $350 million thus far in the clean up process, but that BP makes or has profits daily of about $95 million.

Now, to be fair, C&L was just quoting Mike Papantonio (a talk show host), but they did not point out that what Papantonio was saying was bullshit.

Usually, C&L are on top of stuff like this, but BP will not have to resort to some sort of limit on paying out for damages. As the headline says in the Think Progress story: BP MAKES ENOUGH PROFIT IN FOUR DAYS TO COVER THE COSTS OF THE SPILL CLEAN UP THUS FAR.

These are companies that have made obscene quarterly profits over the last two years that have been the highest EVER of ANY CORPORATIONS in history! So, let's not get rolling with the story line being propagated that this fucking company cannot possibly afford to clean up the damage it has done AND pay out damages to those that have suffered as a result. PLEASE let this not turn out like the Valdez situation, where the billions in dollars of damages awarded were reduced to something like $500 million ... a drop in the bucket, and with all the fighting Exxon did to keep from paying out over the past 20 years, most of the people that were to receive the funds ARE DEAD.

Stop bending over and letting these oil companies fuck Americans up the ass, will ya?

More Brilliant Comments From The Idiots In Congress

The economy gets a little better, and jobs are created, which would not have happened had Obama's stimulus package passed through Congress. But, as usual, the right wingers in Congress want to pull the "don't believe what your eyes show you, believe what my lips are saying" routine by claiming the economy and jobs recovery are because "of the hard work and entrepreneurship of the American people — and despite Washington Democrats’ job-killing agenda of more spending, higher taxes and more regulation."

Thank you, Michael Steel.

Light's Out, Lena Horne

Sorry to hear of the passing of Lena.

On a personal note, I had given up being on AOL for more than a year, but the last two days (since I know that my names are saved in perpetuity and it is actually free) I went online to see what's up.

Sad, sad, sad. Same old desperate people online, saying the same old shit.

Done with the Idiots that inhabit Cyber Reality.

RIP, Lena.

"All Right, Prepare To Fire"

An update to my post on Kent State:

The Ohio National Guardsmen who fired on students and antiwar protesters at Kent State University on May 4, 1970 were given an order to prepare to shoot, according to a new analysis of a 40-year-old audio tape of the event.

"Guard!" says a male voice on the recording, which two forensic audio experts enhanced and evaluated at the request of The Plain Dealer. Several seconds pass. Then, "All right, prepare to fire!"

"Get down!" someone shouts urgently, presumably in the crowd. Finally, "Guard! . . . " followed two seconds later by a long, booming volley of gunshots. The entire spoken sequence lasts 17 seconds.

The previously undetected command could begin to explain the central mystery of the Kent State tragedy - why 28 Guardsmen pivoted in unison atop Blanket Hill, raised their rifles and pistols and fired 67 times, killing four students and wounding nine others in an act that galvanized sentiment against the Vietnam War.

The order indicates that the gunshots were not spontaneous, or in response to sniper fire, as some have suggested over the years.

[emphasis added]

On Tuesday, I was reading lots of comments on YouTube versions of the shooting and other commemorations of the Kent State massacre. I was shocked at the level of disconnect with today's youth compared with those of us that lived the moment as teenagers, either in high school or in college.

It really is amazing how many of today's young people have no understanding of what it was like back then, and how deeply divided this country was over the war in Vietnam, not so much divided among the youth, but divided between us and our parents, who simply could not fathom why we did not want to fight in a war. The generation gap was huge back then, and it cannot in any fashion be compared to the division that is apparent in today's America. Today's division is purely political, stirred up by lies and supported by the greed of those who condone the lies in order to prop themselves and their companies up on the pedestal of financial gain.

The divide in the 60's and 70's was prompted by the draft, and the forcing of people (mostly young men), against their will, to fight in a war they didn't believe in, didn't want to die in, and more importantly, not for a president most of them (us) despised. In Iraq and Afghanistan, although our soldiers were lied to in order to get them to go to war, let it not be forgotten for one moment that these brave souls decided to enlist and protect and fight for America, even if it was based on lies and again, prompted by a president most of the world despised.

As crazy as Bush & Co. were, they simply stripped us of our rights and drained the hell out of the country's finances, all the while scared shitless of the people who protested against him, but he was nothing like the paranoid Nixon, who in his most egregious and arrogant days as president, sent in fucking armed National Guardsmen to shoot at (and kill) the protesters he so feared.

Yeah, And Reagan Brought Down The Wall ... NOT

A Russian government report, which corroborated allegations that Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign interfered with President Jimmy Carter’s Iran-hostage negotiations in 1980, was apparently kept from the Democratic chairman of a congressional task force that investigated the charges a dozen years later.

Yeah, well those of us who apparently wear tin foil hats knew that years ago. Suckers!

"This Changes Nothing"

From Al Gore:

Just as the oil companies told us that deep-water drilling was safe, they tell us that it’s perfectly all right to dump 90 million tons of CO2 into the air of the world every 24 hours. Even as the oil spill continues to grow—even as BP warns that the flow could increase multi-fold, to 60,000 barrels per day, and that it may continue for months—the head of the American Petroleum Institute, Jack Gerard, says, "Nothing has changed. When we get back to the politics of energy, oil and natural gas are essential to the economy and our way of life." His reaction reminds me of the day Elvis Presley died. Upon hearing the tragic news, Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, said, “This changes nothing.”

Powerful article. I suggest you read it through. The disconnect between "industry," our government and the people of this continent is definitely bringing us to the brink of collapse. Personally, I'm looking forward to it, rather than shrinking from it, because at least from my vantage point, it puts everyone on the globe on equal footing and starting over. Global financial collapse, global warming destruction, planetary annihilation, etc. Maybe then, the world will realize it has to play nice to survive.

Upgraded My Picture

Yeah, that's me, at 58! The other picture was two years old, so I figured it was time to upgrade it.

My Cinco De Mayo Beer And Tequila!

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

Drinking my Corona and Jose Cuervo in my beer mug and shot glass I got from a trip to Tampa Bay to see the Lightening hockey team play! I do have some really cool margarita glasses, that have little men with their sombreros over their heads at the base of the glasses, but I'm not in a margarita mood.

Rooting For "Los Suns" In Game Two

In an extremely bold move, the Phoenix Suns as an organization made a strong political statement in opposition to the recent Arizona immigration bill.

Discussions on taking action began last week after the bill passed, with an idea that came from Robert Sarver, Managing Partner of the Phoenix Suns.

According to Steve Kerr, the team discussed it internally before going to the league for approval to both wear the 'Los Suns' jerseys, but also to come out publicly in this way.

Kerr said both the NBA and the San Antonio Spurs were fully supportive of the Suns move.

I'm not that big on basketball, but I keep up with the sport. I've got to give kudos where they are deserved, and it's now given me a reason to check out the next game in the playoffs.

H/T to Crooks and Liars.

4 Dead In Ohio, 40 Years Later

Aside from 9/11, the event that most shaped my values and views in life was the Kent State shootings, which happened 40 years ago, today.

Not to take anything away from the 1968 assassinations of Martin Luther King, and Robert F. Kennedy, but to have the National Guard, made up of American citizens, fire on, and kill, protesting students on an American university campus, sent chills down my spine as to what this country under the rulership of Republicans led by the psycho Richard M. Nixon could to to anyone with a dissenting view. Pales in comparison to Bush, any day (except for the lying and going to war part - but Bush and his regime keep their killing to "insurgents" and "aliens" and sort of stay away from killing American students on campus).

A turning point in my life, to be sure.

My 60th, In 2012

I've sent out the e-vites for my party in New York (Manhattan) for my 60th birthday in 2012 (yeah, the end of the world, LOL).

One of my fun things I am hoping for is that members of the group I sang with will bring instruments and we will perform. I would love to sing with my old friends (and ex husband Keith, if he chooses to show up).

"Mercy*Eye"

I have never linked to my daughter's My Space page. Since I was on a family "page" link, here's my daughter's page.

Enjoy. But note, that she "lies" about some things, which is her prerogative, and which I don't understand. For one thing, she is not black and she lists that as her ethnecity, which bugs me. And she clearly is not in the range of $250,000 in income, since she is still in school, on welfare, and accepting college grants and scholarships. And she is not a go go dancer (shit, at least I was one back in the day). But, then again, My Space and all the other social networking sites are not really about the truth, are they? And she's most certainly not a Buddhist. She's never even been to a temple, for goodness sake!

Her site is full of shit, but the pictures she puts on them are hers, and that is what she is, a fabulous photographer, so I will ignore the bullshit that is the rest of the page!

Boycott Diamondbacks, I'm In

My turn to weigh in on the draconian Arizona immigration bill, but, like Amato at Crooks and Liars, my take is from a baseball point of view.

With Major League Baseball players 25%+ make-up of Spanish, Hispanic, Latino, etc. origins, many holding dual citizenship, and many more not carrying passports (having them being held in lock and storage by team management so as not to lose them), the question of "show me your papers" is very real to these people when they have to play in Arizona.

Little, by little, players are standing up against this new law. The 2011 All Star Game is set to be played in Arizona, and some are stating that if this actually stands up and is law in the next few months, certain players (Adrian Gonzalez for one) will NOT play in the game. I am sure over the next few weeks, more and more major league players will boycott the All Star Game, and Bud Selig will have a major dilemma on his hands. (And we aren't even counting the Cactus League teams that play in Arizona, for goodness sake!) Talk about shooting yourself in the foot for a bigoted right wing talking point! Arizona IS baseball, and BASEBALL is comprised of a lot of Spanish speaking players, whatever their nationality and citizenship is. To put these players and their families under the spotlight of "show me your papers" will produce catastrophic results in Arizona with baseball shrinking it's relationship with that state.

I hear Nevada is not bad for spring training (laughing). And what about Florida? They have a large Cuban population, and many teams USED to have their training camps there.

To quote "Chico Esquela":

"Baseball... been berry berry good... to me."