Dude Wants a Big Piece 'a Palin!

No, I'm not talking about half the guys in the country, but rather the dude on the left. He's republican Bob Inglis, a departing congressman from South Carolina who last month lost the GOP primary there to the more-conservative Trey Gowdy by a whopping 42 points. Well, now dude is angry and he's lettin' the 'ol bombshells fly! The target? None other than Bustah (errrr, Sarah) Palin!

Inglis' specific Palin target (about a year after it was actually a story) is her previous claim that Obama & The Dems' health care reform plans included "death panels" from which bureaucrats would make health care rationing decisions for the elderly. Blasts Inglis this week:

"To encourage that kind of fear is just the lowest form of political leadership. It's not leadership. It's demagoguery . . . preying on [voters'] fears . . . I think we have a lot of leaders that are following these [TV and talk radio] personalities and not leading."

All of this, BTW, from a guy who reportedly told then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2007 that Mormons aren't real Christians. Talk about wading into demagoguery and fear-mongering! But I digress.

Anyway, it sounds like someone needs to book a grudge match between Inglis and Palin real soon. Perhaps it could be a handicap match pitting Inglis against the tag team of Bustah & Bristol. I would stick this action in a cage -- a cage full of mud, that is -- and let them have at it, hard core rules. Palin can use one of her big hunting rivals as a weapon, so long as it's not loaded and she only tries to use it as a bludgeoning device. And Inglis' signature finishing maneuver, the Mormon Killer (a vicious variation on the classic DDT and illegal in 45 jurisdictions), will be fully legal. I see the match ending badly for the Palins, as Levi Johnston -- supposedly on hand cageside to support the Palins -- instead turns on them again and illegally interferes on Inglis' behalf, ending "Dance of the Demagogues" with an Inglis victory! And liberals everywhere rejoice!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/09/inglis-goes-after-palin-lowest-form-of-political-leadership/?fbid=FWp419rIeIk

Oh My Omerta! Apparently He Didn't Have Things "Organized": 93-Year-Old Wiseguy, Dubbed "The Nodfather," Gets Sent to the Can Today in Brooklyn.

Fascinating story today out of the Big Apple, where John "Sonny" Franzese, 93 -- a reputed former second-in-command Underboss of NYC's Colombo crime family (he's in the first picture above, on left) -- gets pinched & hussled off to the hoosegow for up to 20 years after being convicted today for racketeering involving shakedowns at some of the local strip joints and pizzerias (links to story at bottom).

Sonny (I thought your name had to be Santino in order to be nicknamed "Sonny" in the mob?) garnered his new nickname, "The Nodfather," during his trial as he struggled to remain awake (once actually nodding off) while his turncoat son John Jr., 50, broke Omerta (the mafia code of silence) and testified against his old man.

And Junior (and since he's the Junior to a Sonny, does make him "Little Sonny"?) also testified as to some of the wonderful fatherly influence and advice that Big Sonny (whom I will henceforth refer to as "the old man") provided over the years. First, Junior testified that the old man had Junior, from a very young age, out on the street running messages for Daddy to other high-ranking mobsters, much akin to the role that a teenaged Henry Hill performed in the motion picture Goodfellas (based on a true story). And besides enlisting the boy to be his lackey and messenger boy, the old man was also full of wonderful life advice for his son, such as lessons in how to properly handle an extortion victim. The old man told Junior, "If he don't give it to you, leave him in the floor." With parental counseling like that, who needs bad influences, right?

But alas, the old man's shyster (errrr, attorney), Richard Lind, did during the trial try to argue that the old man's nefarious activities tend to pertain to the distant past, telling the jury that the old man hasn't been a threat since "the age of Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson and maybe the age of George Washington" (funny line, frankly). And indeed, the old man's heyday was in a bygone era: He was reportedly (along with Lola) a regular at the Copacabana nightclub, "where he mixed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr." and other members of The Rat Pack. It's even alleged that Sinatra once kissed a ring on the old man's finger. But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show.

However, the old man's reach into the High Life of celebrities and American pop culture didn't stop there. It's reported that he also put his financial weight behind several American recording labels and also had a little taste (just enought to wet his beak) into such motion pictures as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the '70s porn classic, Deep Throat. I mean, talk about a total Pulp Fiction piece of work over there, this old man!

And finally, the old man has taken a rather matter-of-fact attitude towards this whole trial thing and the fact that Little Sonny took the testimonial stand to rat out his old man. The old man's earlier reaction to the possibility of being sent to the can and his son testifying against him: "Who cares? I gotta die someplace."

No word yet, BTW, on whether the old man will get to pull another Goodfellas (see second picture above) and live in a posh prison dormitory with other imprisoned wiseguys, separated from the rest of the prison population (I believe they call that "Gen Pop"), complete with all of the amenities, plenty of contraband food and drink, and an exclusive kitchen used for nightly dinners always featuring a pasta course and a meat course (along with a steady stream of white and red wine). My best advice to the old man: First thing, tell that damn Vinnie not to use too many onions in the pasta sauce!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/7879702/Mafia-boss-93-faces-prison-after-son-breaks-code-of-silence.html

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpps/news/gangster-93-convicted-of-racketeering-conspiracy-dpgapx-20100707-mh_8530254

Independents Ready to Give Democrat Party the Boot Out Of Washington Come November.

Following my earlier post today on the new Gallup poll reporting that Obama's job approval rating has for the first time fallen below 40% (38% to be precise) among Independents, I noticed tonight a new Fox News poll which verifies Gallup (link at bottom). The Fox News poll reports that 61% of Independents are either "disappointed" or "angry" with the White House. An additional 33% of Independents "are not extremely happy" with Obama, meaning that 94% of Independents have some real issues with Obama and his White House.

Even more significantly as it pertains to 2010, the Fox News poll finds that 55% of Independents (the folks who control election outcomes) are likely to vote for a republican congressional candidate this year with the "specific intention of providing a check on [democrat] control of Congress and the president." Good to see that I am, indeed, very much in touch with my fellow Independents, since that's precisely the sentiment I've been expressing on this blog for months and, specifically, as recently as last weekend:

That is, I will be voting for whichever person the GOP sticks on the ballot in November in my federal Senate and House races, no matter how much I might dislike the GOP candidate and even despite my long tradition (about 15 years now) of never voting for any dems or repubs in any race (since I absolutely distrust and dislike both of these two out-of-touch, corrupt parties that much). But as I stated this past weekend, I have no choice come November. The complete Iron Grip on federal power by the far leftist-controlled dem party must come to an end as soon as possible. We must provide a measure of balance of power in DC. As I've said many, many times in this space, I never in my lifetime want to see again either of these two B.S. parties having the total control of our federal government that Obama & The Dems have used to run roughshod over the past 18 months. Because it's been some very scary stuff.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/07/fox-news-poll-independent-voters-disappointed-angry-obama-administration/?test=latestnews

Bad News Today For Obama & His Congressional Dems: The President's Approval Rating Among Independents Reaches anAll Time Low.

Today's Gallup poll has just 38% of Independents approving of Obama's job performance -- the first time during his presidency that his job approval rating among Independents has fallen below 40% (link at bottom). And how do you think that bodes for the dems in the November midterm elections? Not so positively, methinks. Gosh, it must really chap the hides of partisan dems and repubs everywhere to know that we Independents control the results of elections. And I (and so many fellow Independents) still continue to look very forward to November.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/141131/Obama-Job-Approval-Rating-Down-Among-Independents.aspx

Steele Out, Palin In, For GOP Chair?!

That's the speculation and buzz around the Net today as repub National Committee Chairman Michael Steele continues to come under fire this week for recent statements criticizing the war in Afghanistan (see, e.g., the two links at bottom). The speculation appears to be largely driven by conservative pundits and commentators, and may just be more wishful thinking on their part than anything.

But regardless, let's consider the possibility. Let's see: Replacing one gaffe-prone clown with another? What, is Rand Paul not available? It doesn't sound like a very bright move on first blush. However, if the repubs can keep Palin somewhat muzzled in terms of her public statements and Twitter blasts (a task that may ultimately prove to be impossible), I think there's little doubt that she would far exceed Steele in terms of fundraising, which it would seem is ultimately the most important role of party chairperson.

Also (and the first link at bottom gets into this as well), it seems to me that Palin really doesn't talk to the media much anymore, rather mostly limiting her statements to Fox News and social networking sites. If she becomes GOP chair, she would have to be more accessible to the media in general for at least occasional interviews. I'm not sure that the repubs really want that, are you? Stay tuned...

http://theweek.com/article/index/204659/should-the-gop-dump-michael-steele-for-sarah-palin
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWYzM2ViNDQwNzVmOGY2NzM5YzY4OTQzMGViZjMzOGQ=

Episode 5 Tonight of "You're Cut Off" On VH1!The Ladies Are Forced to Shed Their Makeup, & Someone Gets Her Walking Papers!

Nutshell Synopsis of Episode 5: With this week's lesson being "inner beauty," the ladies are forced to participate in photo shoots with and without makeup, leading to some major league meltdowns. Plus, for the first time, one of the bad girls of the house gets her pink slip and gets sent packing for home!

Segment 1: The episode picks up where the last one left off, with Gia out on the street crying, having ran out of the house in disgust at fellow bad girl Erica being named last week's VIP (Very Improved Princess). Noticeably, no one goes out to console her. She resolves not to quit and heads back inside the house.

The next morning, Erica (as VIP) is enjoying being able to dole out the household chores. She assigns Pam yardwork and gives her some friendly advice: "Have you ever used a lawnmower before? It's pretty complicated. Anyway, let me know if you need me to show you how to mow because it took me awhile to figure it out too." Meantime, ultimate bad girl Chrissy (who really hasn't done any work or anything positive to speak of since this series' inception) is sleeping in as usual, while Jackie works on mopping the kitchen. Jackie asks Erica, "do you think I should mop the refrigerator?" "Yeah," responds Erica and Jackies starts in wiping the mop all over the sides of the appliance. "That was a good idea; you're really going above and beyond your chores," comments Erica. Pam's out in the yard, raking leaves and debris into the neighbor's yard and trying to clean the fish pool with a mop (what's with these ladies and their mops this week?). Chrissy finally gets out of bed but refuses to do any work, telling Erica: "You're on my stage right now and I ain't entertaining you because you're just a prop."

Moderator Laura Baron then informs the ladies that his week's lesson has to do with "beauty" (not yet revealing to them that it's actually about "inner beauty"). They head off to have a photo shoot at Siren Studios in LA with a celebrity photographer. Says Erica, "I definitely consider myself an expert in the beauty industry, having growed up with a father who's a plastic surgeon." [No typo in that prior quote. And Erica's in law school!] Chrissy is excited about the shoot: "That's why I take my time doing my makeup -- We're about to do a photo shoot and these other girls look half-assin'. Oh I'm ready!" The ladies then head off to work with professional hair and makeup teams. Erica comments that it takes a few hundred thousand dollars a year for her to look as good as she looks, and Gia notes: "If this is a modeling competition, ladies be aware, I photograph very well."

The shoot begins with Jackie going first. Jackie says she thinks she looks very good, but off stage Jessica comments that "Jackie should be on the cover of Mad Magazine." Says Jessica, "looking at Jackie is like watching two dogs hump -- you don't wanna look but you have to." "Watch out bitches, here I come," proclaims bad girl Gia, as she's next up. Says Gia, "The only thing going through my mind right now is that this guy [the photographer] is definitely going to give me a call and is going to want to be putting me somewhere in his magazines because he's just loving my look."

Erica goes next, but Chrissy criticizes her for not having anything more than "one frozen look" on camera (as it does appear difficult for Erica to flash a large smile). Leanne says she "feels amazing" in front of the camera "because I was Little Miss America when I was 1, 2 and 3." Pam's also pompous, saying that "of course the other girls are jealous of me; I mean, I'm hotter than them." Amber, Jessica and Courtnee get their turns, followed by Chrissy, who doesn't care for the fan blowing in the studio: "Whew! You think we have to have it that strong, because my weave is gonna be off!" During her shoot, Chrissy comments: "I love having my picture taken because it captures my beautiful features, and it's something I can keep looking at over and over again, and I won't ever get tired of looking at it." She also tells the other ladies, "The Star is taking a picture. Please relax."

After the shoot, Laura Baron informs the ladies that the full description of this week's lesson is actually "inner beauty" -- "The real lesson starts now." Chrissy is not happy, spouting: "What the hell we gonna do now? I've learned my lesson [for the week]. I know I'm beautiful. Oh, it's time to go home, NOW!"

Segment 2: The girls are taken to the Chua Viet Nam Buddhist Temple, which has very much a temple look to it, complete with myriad Buddha statues. Pam notes: "I see little Buddhas everywhere when I get my nails done, and so I'm thinking, is this like a really big spa?" Chrissy says she has a "bad vibe" about this joint from the beginning. The ladies are then sent to an upstairs room in the temple to put on robes and sandals, which they hate. "I'm as hot as a Tijuana slut," barks Jessica, while Gia crows: "I'm not wearing no $1 sandals; I'm going to go out in my heals!"

Laura Baron then informs the girls that they are there to learn something from the Buddhist monks about valuing their inner beauty. Chrissy is just not feeling it: "Maybe some of these other girls are ugly on the inside, but not me, I'm beautiful on the inside. I don't need no lesson on damn inner beauty." The lovely, mild-mannered and leggy supermodel-type Courtnee is also skeptical: "Who cares if I have an attachment to materialistic things. Because my shoes and clothes look good. Who cares, as long as they make me look good." One of the monks talks to the ladies about Buddha and his life (with glazed-over eyes aplenty among the ladies). But Erica has trouble focusing on the substance of his message: "All I can think about is the monk's robe is cuter than my robe, and I wish I could be wearing his right now."

The ladies are then led to a room for some meditation with the monks. Jessica and Chrissy are not comfortable with the meditation room, with Chrissy stating: "I don't care if I piss off these monks. Going in that room -- I don't think that has nothing to do with inner beauty, and so I'm not gonna do it." As the monks start chanting, Chrissy is fed up. "This just don't feel right," she says as she stomps out of the room. Jessica does the same. The other 7 ladies participate in the meditation session. Afterward, bad girl Gia expresses her disappointment that Jessica and Chrissy refused to participate, but they really couldn't care less. In the car and on the way back to Siren Studios, Pam divulges that she is very close to totally blowing her stack with the "negative" ladies such as Jessica and Chrissy.

Arriving back at Siren Studios, Laura Baron breaks the shocking news to the ladies that the next part of this week's lesson will involve posing for another photo shoot, but this time without any makeup, any jewelry and any designer clothing. Chrissy immediately reacts negatively, saying: "No makeup! I'm supposed to be a Barbi and glamorous at all times, and polished. Oh, this is not gonna work for me!"

Segment 3: Laura Baron talks more about the purpose of this week's "inner beauty" lesson, saying that it's intended to get the ladies to more like whom they are on the inside so that they don't feel the need to spend so much time and money on pursuing material things. The ladies head to the makeup room and start working on removing their makeup. Gia and Chrissy start bickering. Chrissy wants Gia to take off her fake eyelashes as Chrissy did. Gia responds: "Then take off your fake ass hair!" Says Chrissy: "Bitch, that's my hair, not my face. I can take off my hair and still be as hot!" Pam is becoming irritated with this bickering, and buxom nice girl and southern belle Amber is visibly getting stressed out by the bickering. Finally, Pam can't take it any longer: "I have had enough! All you ever girls ever do is complain!" Chrissy stands up for her "right to complain," and Jessica joins in and starts shouting back at Pam as well. Jessica: "I know why you're all hot and bothered, because you like a 5o-year-old woman without your makeup!" Pam: "Really? I look better than you!"

Amber has also reached her limit with the bickering and is starting to have a panic attack. She walks out of the makeup room and explains to Laura Baron that she has a panic disorder, and that a panic attack was triggered by all the fighting by the other ladies. Laura encourages Amber to relax and breathe for awhile, which helps. Laura then stands in front of a full-length mirror with Amber -- something each of the ladies will have to do as a part of their second photo shoot. Laura wants each lady to look in the mirror and say what it is that each girl likes about herself as a person. Amber's first response to that question is, "my boobs." But then she offers a more thoughtful response, saying she prides herself in being strong and confident (and typically as a result being able to avoid panic attacks like the one today).

Back in the makeup room, the bickering continues, primarily between Pam and Jessica, with Jessica having an absolutely enraged, evil look on her face such that I thought she might actually go clinically insane right then and there. Erica is next up to look in the mirror with Laura. Erica confides that she feels very vulnerable without her makeup. Laura encourages her to try to just let go of her preoccupation with makeup, botox and jewelry, and to let others love her for her. Pam, Leanne, Jessica, Courtnee and Jackie all have their turns in front of the mirror, with each saying something positive about their inner-selves.

Gia is up next, and has big difficulties bringing herself to even look in the mirror without her makeup. But alas, the problem only seems to be partially due to the lack of makeup, as Gia says that "there's a lot of things I'm not proud about." She laments that she tends to pay her way through life and pay her way out of having to do things. She says she wants to change and says that he's proud of herself for accepting that she needs to change. Laura tells Gia that she thinks Gia's made some amazing progress this week (Hear Hear!).

And then it's Chrissy time in front of the mirror! But first a personal aside: I have never been that overly attracted to Chrissy's wild-ass, exotic look in makeup, but I was amazed to actually find her much more attractive without makeup! But I digress. In front of the mirror: "What's beautiful about you," asks Laura. "Everything," proclaims Chrissy. Things only go downhill from there. Chrissy says she's not "getting" this whole "inner beauty" concept, and she repeatedly expresses that she has a huge hangup with the fact that Laura (the moderator of the show and NOT a participant) has not also taken off her makeup! Laura sees right through this tactic and starts to become very annoyed with Chrissy, telling her that she's trying to use Laura as an excuse to avoid seriously embracing the lesson and reflecting upon what she thinks is the most beautiful thing about her as a person. (Personally, I'm a bit suspicious that Chrissy's real problem might have been that she couldn't think of a single thing that's redeemable about her personality -- I mean, the lady's just rotten). Off camera, Laura says that she can't help Chrissy if she doesn't first want to help herself.

Segment 4: The next morning at the house, Chrissy is still mad at Laura for making Chrissy take off her makeup without taking off her own. Laura shows up and tells Chrissy (through the bathroom door), "I'd like to see you in my office in 15 minutes, OK?" Says Chrissy: "I'll be ready in about 40 minutes, OK?" Laura storms off. And Chrissy is being serious: "I don't rush this beauty regimen for anyone, including Laura. She needs to wait for me. I need all the time I can get to get beautified." Gia warns Chrissy that she had better get a move on, but Chrissy starts yelling at Gia about not giving her advice.

Chrissy shows up very late to the meeting with Laura. Asks Laura: "How do you feel about your participation in this program?" Responds Chrissy: "Uh, I'm participating." And things just get worse from there, with Chrissy flashing her bad attitude, complete arrogance, and lack of respect for anyone around her as Laura confronts her about not participating in lessons and giving constant pushback to everything and everyone on this program. When Laura tells Chrissy that she needs to want to help herself, Chrissy responds: "I believe this program is low key bullshit for me." Laura has finally had it: "I will not allow one woman to take down a program that I am seeing improve all of the other girls. It's not fair to the girls or the program, and quite frankly I am disappointed." Chrissy's only response: "OK, you have have anything else to say?" Then Laura lowers the ol' boom: "Yes, pack up and be gone within an hour." Chrissy says thank you and leaves.

While I had thought that Chrissy's awful behavior throughout the series might have been intended to garner getting sent home, that apparently was not the case, as she is upset and crying back at the house concerning the fact that she must leave. Put another way, she really was so arrogant so as to think that she could get away with anything and still progress to the end of the show. As Chrissy packs her bags, the very well-endowed Erica, wearing only her bra, seems to almost gloat over Chrissy's departure, telling Chrissy: "At least your luggage is cute." The other ladies do not really seem angered or outraged by Chrissy's departure, although they do seem very shocked that this has occurred (since the goal of this reality show is for all the ladies to survive until the end).

Segment 5: Chrissy is shown taking her luggage to a care for her departure. The other ladies come out to wave goodbye. And then there were eight. Jessica confides that this event is a real eye-opener for her, since she definitely does not want to get booted from the show like Chrissy was. Then the ladies begin their regular end-of-the-week meeting with Laura Baron. They first talk about Chrissy getting the hook. Laura says that she asked Chrissy to leave because she unwilling to work on helping herself. Amber asks why Laura gave up on Chrissy. Laura says it was because Chrissy simply wasn't open to being helped: "If you are committed to yourself, then I promise you that I'll be committed to you."

Final Segment: Now it's time for Laura to reveal which ladies passed and failed this week's lesson. Not surprisingly, all 8 remaining ladies pass this week since all were willing to look in the mirror and reveal what they think about their inner-selves. The Very Improved Princess (VIP) title for this week goes to Gia, who certainly came a long way in this episode after almost leaving the show at the end of last week.

But all is not well in Spoiled Brat-Ville! Pam and Jackie are irrate that Gia won VIP. Says Pam: "Gia gets away with murder!" And then it's revealed that Pam and Jackie apparently have some sort of nefarious plan up their sleeves for radically changing the dynamics in the house: "We're about to take over this house. They'll never know what hit them!" End of episode.

Preview of Next Episode: Next week the ladies must go camping! Let the bickering begin around the ol' campfire!!!

Final Comments: While it was hilarious to see Chrissy get the boot, I'm actually very sorry to see her go. Simply put, her whole rotten personality, which incessantly put herself first before the needs and interests of everyone around her, was extremely entertaining each week! Of the show's "bad girls," she was the Ultimate Bad Girl, and I'm afraid the show won't be quite the same without her. BUT, we still have bad girls Erica, Gia and Jessica to screw stuff up (plus the mysterious above-referenced plan of Pam and Jackie), and so I think the remaining three episodes should continue to be high entertainment!

On This Independence Day, I Invite Everyone to Declare His/Her Own Independence...

Yes, declare independence: That is, independence from ties and allegiances to the two out-of-touch, extreme-controlled, corrupt and non-responsive entities known as the democrat party and the repub party -- two parties controlled by minorities of the population known as conservatives and liberals/progressives. They do not have your best interests at heart, so why have any allegiance to them? Show allegiance to yourself and to country, and think for yourself. Just declare independence, as the colonial Americans did, showing incredible courage, 234 years ago today.

And on this day, endeavor also to read the Declaration of Independence, which is a remarkably succinct document, so much unlike the legislative monstrosities that we have seen foisted upon us time and time again over the past 18 months. A link to the full text is at bottom (like I said, it's a very short document), and here are just a few excerpts, as written by the great American political philosopher, Thomas Jefferson:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

The history of the present King of Great Britain [MEMO TO GENERATION Y: We declared our independence from Great Britain!] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world . . .

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people . . .

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures . . .

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance . . .

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people . . .

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved . . . And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/

Look At These Two Clown Repubs Running for U.S. Senate in Kansas -- One of Whom I Will Have to Vote For! Talk About Kissin' Your Sister.

They are Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt, both staunch conservatives, who have lately been engaging in a mindless, mean-spirited and ugly TV ad battle over whom the "real conservative" is, as they battle for the GOP nomination in the Kansas U.S Senate race this year. For what it's worth (and it's worth absolutely nothing to me), the Tea Party apparently backs Tiahrt from amongst these two highly indistinguishable candidates (big surprise there -- do you really think the Tea Party would support a "Moran" after the above-pictured St. Louis tea party mullet-headed idiot went viral on the Net with his misspelled "morans" sign?).

And I'm going to have to vote for one of these two deranged right-wing freaks! But alas, I'm left with no choice. No choice whatsoever. A balance of power must be restored to DC. Never in my life do I ever want to see either of these two out-of-touch, bull$hit parties have the complete iron grip on power in DC that we've seen from Obama & The Dems over the last year and a half. The results have been, as fully expected, frightening.

And so as I said on such dark days as Black Christmas and Sunday Bloody Sunday -- and even though I haven't voted for a repub or dem since at least the mid-1990's -- I will be voting for whomever the repubs stick in front of me this fall in my local U.S. House and Senate races. Sometimes in life, you have to swallow your general principles in pursuit of a greater good. I just wish that this time, pursuing that greater good didn't make me feel like an Independence Avenue streetwalker at 4 in the morning.

http://www.gctelegram.com/news/ap-SenateRace-06-01-10

Tea Party Buzz: GOP Candidates Ducking the Birther Question, And a Prediction of the Tea Party Movement's Demise?

Politico.com today has a couple of interesting odds and ends directly and indirectly related to the tea party movement. The first item, at least it seems to me, pertains to the previous polls we've seen reporting that large percentrages of tea partiers and conservatives in general actually believe that Obama is not legitimately the president because he was born in another country (the "birthers"). I think 2010 republican candidates know full well about such polls, and therefore they won't give you a straight answer if you ask them whether they believe Obama is legitimately the president.

The latest example of this rather cowardly refusal to answer that question comes from Sharron Angle, the republican senatorial candidate in Nevada running against dem and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for Reid's seat this fall (first link at bottom). And realize that I'm giving Angle and other repubs the benefit of the doubt when I merely call them cowardly, since the alternative is that they actually believe that Obama is not legitimately the president and want to avoid the question for that reason (as opposed to merely desiring to avoid alienating the birthers).

The second item today centers on the republican that conservatives and tea partiers everywhere love to hate -- Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Graham tells the New York Times this week (second link at bottom): "The problem with the tea party, I think, is it’s just unsustainable because they can never come up with a coherent vision for governing the country. It will die out." Graham also tells the Times that the tea party movement has driven the repub party too far to the right, such that even "Ronald Reagan would have a hard time getting elected as a Republican today." Ouch. (I think I'd avoid checking that e-mail and voice mail any time soon if I was the Senator).

As to Graham's claim that the tea party movement will "die out," I think that may just be wishful thinking on his part, at least on the short term. I think that as long as we have total far left control of the presidency and the entire Congress -- as we've had since the start of 2009 -- you're going to see Obama & The Dems running amok and doing their loony left-wing thing, with an energized tea party movement still out there in response. Funny how extremists only fan the flames of other extremists on the other side.

And that, frankly, is a damn shame. I'm on record previously in this space about the tea party. This is basically and fundamentally a conservative movement and is predominantly composed of and fueled by staunch conservatives. Graham is absolutely right about the tea party driving the republican party to the right. I think any movement that serves to drive these two BS parties any farther to the left or to the right is not a positive movement since it means that Independents (40% of the country and the deciders of elections) are represented by no one to an even greater extent than is already the case. So Senator, you say the tea party is going to die out? Fine with me, but I just don't see that occurring any time soon. And you know, Senator, you really should consider turning Independent.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39315.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39286.html

An Inconvenient EVERYTHING: Cops Reopen Investigation Into Alleged Al Gore Sexual Assault, As His Accuser Goes Public.

Bad, bad and more bad when it comes to the news this week for that esteemed inventor of the Internet, Al Gore. As ABC News reports today: "Portland, Oregon police have decided to reopen the investigation into a 54-year-old masseuse's allegations that former Vice President Al Gore sexually assaulted her in his hotel room in 2006" (I guess the MSM's "He Wasn't Charged" defense is out the window for the time being). And all of this comes after the National Enquirer hit newsstands this week with an interview they purchased from Gore's accuser, who has now gone public with her identity -- Molly Hagerty.

Now, if you thought some of those "crazed sex poodle" allegations she told the cops were bad, the lady is really ratcheting up the ol' rhethoric in her Enquirer interview: "Al Gore is a pervert and a sexual predator. He's not what people think he is - he's a sick man. I want justice served." Ouch-a-rama.

Hagerty also continues to claim that she kept pants from the alleged incident that have stains of Gore's "DNA," for lack of a more radio-friendly term. She's also claiming there is another witness, plus a hotel video surveillance tape, that will help to corroborate her story.

Also new today: Gore somewhat breaks the silence he's maintained since this story broke a week or so ago. Through a spokesperson, Gore says that he "unequivocally and emphatically denies this accusation." And in true politician spin mode, the spokesperson also claims that "further investigation into this matter will only benefit Mr. Gore." Right! The reopening of the police investigation is just want Big Al wanted all along! Please.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-gore-sex-abuse-case-reopened-portland/story?id=11059203
http://www.nationalenquirer.com/new_evidence_gore_sex_scandal_exclusive_interview_masseuse_/celebrity/68913

Episode 4 Tonight of "You're Cut Off" on VH1! The Spoiled Rotten Brats Must Work a Job!

(In case you're not familiar with this hot new reality series, try this primer from Episode 1: http://independentrage.blogspot.com/2010/06/episode-1-tonight-of-hot-new-vh1.html. And read more specifically about the participating Nine Ladies at this link: http://www.vh1.com/shows/youre_cut_off/cast.jhtml).

Important Program Note: "You're Cut Off" is moving to Mondays, and so my coverage will too. The next new episode airs in VH1 prime time this Monday, July 5 at 8:00 p.m. (central).

Nutshell Synopsis of Episode 4: The ladies are forced to work jobs, with Bad Girl Chrissy not even showing up for work and Bad Girl Gia quitting the job halfway through. Bad Girl Erica, who has really taken the brunt of it verbally from Gia and Jessica throughout the series, gets a measure of revenge as she's named Manager on the Ladies' job, and thus gets to boss around Gia and Jessica, who do not respond well! Ultimately, Gia storms off the entire show (will she return?). Meantime, Good Girls Courtnee and Amber actually assert themselves a bit in this episode for the first time, which was awesome to see.

Segment 1: Episode 4 starts with the Beautiful Bad Girl Erica mowing the house yard again with an old-style non-mechanic lawn mower straight outta Leave It To Beaver. Erica likes mowing, because it's exercise. She tells last week's VIP (Very Improved Princess), Leanne, "thanks for letting me mow again. Like, I think a lot of guys will marry me now because I know how to mow the lawn." Inside the house, Bad Girls Jessica and Gia both say they are looking to improve their performances from last week, with Gia actually working for once (making beds, although in a pretty rotten fashion). Ultimate Bad Girl Chrissy (who has not done one redeeming thing in the history of the series, unlike all other 8 Ladies), however, is sleeping in as usual.

Then the group meets with moderator Laura Baron. Chrissy is the only lady late to the meeting, saying that "being the last one, it's all about me, and I come first, and I'm on my own time schedule." Laura informs the ladies that this week they will have to write a resume, go on an interview, and then work a job. Says Houston Miss Priss Erica: "Do we have to type the resume? Normally my daddy's secretary does mine."

Laura informs the ladies that their interview will be with Stephen Viscusi, CEO of The Viscusi Group, a headhunting firm. Gia says that she will refuse to do a resume or go on an interview: "I don't need a job, I'm rich." Anyway, the ladies have 45 minutes to do a resume. Several of the ladies have trouble operating their computers, and Erica helps a number of them with their resumes. Gia is still refusing to partake, stating: "I refuse to use my pretty fingernails and type up a resume for somebody I could care less about." Gia then scurries off to the patio to toke on her beloved hookah.

Segment 2: The ladies head off to interview with Viscusi. First up is Erica, who says that she's going to law school (can you still believe that?) because "I really want to a Judge Judy." Viscusi tells her that Judge Judy put in a lot of time in her career before she ever got on the air. "But I'm prettier than her," spouts Erica. In law school, Erica says that "my focus is all on myself, not in a narcissistic way -- You know what I mean?" Responds Viscusi, "No, I don't, based on what you said, I'm not sure I do."

Chrissy's interview is next. Her quotes say it all: "I'm fortunate to be beautiful and hot." "They say black don't crack, so hopefully I won't have to do plastic surgery [as she gets older]." "I have the best walk ever, and it'll make ya say damn!"

In Pam's interview, she (as in Episode 1) again claims to be an investment banker whereas it's obvious she's not. She struggles to describe what she does, precisely, in such capacity. Jessica's next, and Viscusi finds her to be "lazy." Meantime, Amber struggles to recall if she's had any prior jobs and Leanna admits she hasn't really ever thought about what kind of job she might like to work. Courtnee says that she's just looking for someone to hire her for a job. Jackie breaks into song during her interview, with Viscusi reacting to her shakey voice by saying, "not to sound like Simon, but that's very good, you can sit down now." Viscusi then calls for Gia, but she's back at the house smoking her hookah.

The next morning, Laura Baron wakes up the ladies at 7:30 a.m. The ladies hate waking this early! Gia, who refused to do a resume or interview, nevertheless gets out of bed and says she's willing to try to go work. In stark contrast, fellow (and Ultimate) Bad Girl Chrissy again sleeps in, stating: "I cannot be rushed, I will get up on my own terms and on my own time." Then it's time to leave for their jobs, but Chrissy says she's not ready and still needs 50 minutes to complete her makeup and to do her hair: "Never will I walk out the door if I'm not complete. That's just tacky as hell!" The ladies (somewhat) reluctantly leave Chrissy's ass behind and take off for their jobs by car.

Segment 3: Time to Work! The ladies find out they will be working at Matisse Footwear, which makes high-end women's shoes as well as a more affordable line called Coconuts. Michael Katz, the Matisse CEO, addresses the ladies and (after having consulted with Viscusi) starts doling out the job assignments. Leanne, Courtnee and Pam, thought to be "efficient and organized," are assigned office duty. Jessica and Jackie, allegedly having "good voices," are assigned to sales. Gia and Amber are assigned to warehouse inventory duty (Chrissy was too, but she's back at the house still doing her makeup). Erica is assigned to be Manager of all the ladies: "I'm the manager. I got the best job out of everyone. I knew I deserved it because I'm in law school. There's no real competition when it comes to intelligence."

In sales, Jessica and Jackie have to make cold calls, which they HATE! In the office, Courtnee, Pam and Leanne have to work on sorting papers and stuffing envelopes. The second best line of the episode comes here, as Pam spouts, "This task is so maindune!" (In a true Archie Bunker-type misspeak, Pam obviously confused the syllables of the word, "mundane"!).

OK, so Erica obviously sees her manager role as finally being her opportunity to turn the tables on Gia and Jessica, who so often have ganged up on Erica with their verbal abuse (with the arrogant, yet timid, Erica just sitting there and taking it). Erica struts in to observe the job performance of Jessica and Jackie in sales. Jackie has taken to the task, and is doing a good job. Jessica, however, isn't doing too well on the cold calls, and Erica tells her that "maybe you should be a little bit less abrasive." Erica then forces Jessica to listen to one of Jackie's calls, telling Jessica, "listen to how it's done." Jessica is fumin'!

Out in the warehouse, Gia hates her work, which involves going and finding orders in the warehouse inventory. Erica struts out to check up on Gia's performance. Gia goes off on her: "You're not my manager, go away, get out my f*ckin face!" Then this exchange: Erica: "Ok, well, I'm just going to have to report all of this. You have a terrible attitude." Gia: "Yeah, and you have a flat ass!" Erica walks off, but again starts talking about being named manager because she's in law school. Gia has an angry meltdown: "WHO CARES YOU'RE IN LAW SCHOOL, IDIOT! I WENT TO LAW SCHOOL, I WENT TO LAW SCHOOL, I WENT TO LAW SCHOOL!" Gia also confides that she's "going to have an anxiety attack over this woman."

Erica reports to CEO Michael that Gia's not doing her job and is being "very unprofessional and is using profanities" (Memo to Erica -- the World Hates a Rat). Michael tells her that as a manager, it's her job to find ways to deal with difficult people, and he encourages her to try a different, nicer approach with Gia. Meantime back out in the warehouse, Gia is still ranting about Erica, saying: "Managers are supposed to help out, right -- they don't just sit on their fat asses and make doctors appointments for Botox!" That line actually cracked up Amber, who never gets involved in any of these silly arguments between the Bad Girls of the group. Erica strolls out again and actually seems to take CEO Michael's advice by taking a much more conciliatory tone with Gia. But Gia's havin' nothin' of it! "Just go back to your office! -- I want to hit myself with a shoe," barks Gia.

Erica, obviously having fun, then sneaks up on Jessica and listens in on one of Jessica's calls without Jessica seeing her. When Jessica hangs up the call, she's startled to find Erica behind her: "Oh My God, were you standing behind me the whole time you DEMONSEED!" Then back out in the warehouse, it's Erica and Gia in each other's face with a full-on bickering match, with all the ladies gathering to watch and Jessica joining in on Gia's side. "You're vulturing everyone," screeches Jessica at Erica. Then the funniest line of the episode, and the only one that literally and truly made my Laugh Out Loud: Erica blasts, "I feel like Gia is a Wild Animal and Jessica is a Caveman, and I don't know how to communicate with those kinds of people."

CEO Michael gets in the middle of the 3-way bickering of Erica, Gia and Jessica. Gia says that Erica is not her manager, but CEO dude confirms that she is. With that, Gia quits the job and storms out of the joint.

Segment 4: CEO Michael says that from what he just witnessed from Gia's behavior: "I can't have that here. it's counter-productive." Gia is sitting outside the building, and Jessica heads out there to hang out with her. They share their disdain for Erica.

At the end of the work day, Laura shows up and she and CEO Michael meet with the ladies, informing them that they are about to get paid for their day's work. Each lady gets 70 bucks, except for Gia, who only gets 50 since she quit early. The ladies are not happy with them wages, as they feel they should have received several hundred dollars, at least, for their efforts. Erica comments that she feels she should have gotten more than the other ladies since she's in law school and was the manager.

Back at the house, the ladies get a note from Laura Baron saying that they are being rewarded for their work today by getting to partake in a mobile spa in the backyard, although they will have to pick which services they can afford based on today's paycheck. Jessica and Gia are ecstatic to find that the mobile spa includes a spray tan station; but alas, it costs 70 bucks and Gia can't afford it with her $50! When Gia asks why she can't afford the spray tan, the typically quiet Amber again asserts herself, spouting: "Because you're a broke b*tch!" NICE!

Then Ultimate Bad Girl Chrissy, who skipped today's work session, rolls out looking to participate in the mobile spa. Only problem: She's earned no money to be able to buy any of the spa's services. Here, very hot leggy Supermodel type and Nice But Quiet Lady Courtnee starts (much like fellow Nice Lady Amber) to assert herself, stating: "Chrissy, you didn't do the work, you don't deserve the reward, Period! Point Blank!" Damn right and Good For You, Courtnee!

Even Gia, previously in major cahoots with fellow Bad Girl Chrissy, starts going off on Chrissy for blowing off today's work. Chrissy then storms off: "You're Haters! And You're Jealous! I thought you could have made some type of exception for me!" Erica, Pam and Leanne all comment that they feel good for working a job and getting paid and getting a reward (it's small progress for them, but progress nonetheless). BTW, Erica spent her $70 on a pedicure.

That Night: Erica tries to lament to friend Leanne that she (Erica) just doesn't know how to deal with hotheaded Bad Girls Gia and Jessica (since Erica never gets mad -- it's just not her thing). Of course (this show never has any authority or referees hanging around the house), Gia and Jessica get wind of Erica talking about them and march in and another 3-way bickering match ensues. Gia and Jessica accuse Erica (1) of taking advantage of her management position (true, she very much did) and (2) bullying and torturing them (that's pretty choice, however, since it's mostly been Gia and Jessica trying to bully Erica throughout this series).

Gia and Jessica storm off, but Erica clearly has about reached her limit with their antics. Erica starts to become emotional in front of her friend Leanne, saying that it's very hard for her to deal with those two: "I don't know what to do." Psssst: Erica, you should have done what Jackie has so masterfully done since Episode 1: Avoid Their Asses! But since Erica cannot help herself from flashing her high-brow, arrogant attitude at everyone around her, it's basically impossible for her to take the Jackie approach! She's simply destined to butt heads with your Gia and Jessica-type hothead divas of the world. Simple as that.

The segment ends with Laura Baron pulling Jessica aside for a one-on-one session to try to get at the heart of why Jessica keeps letting her bad temper get the best of her (frankly, why was such a session not also conducted with the rather deranged Gia?). Anyway, Jessica opens up to a decent degree in the session, confiding that she was much more easygoing prior to the premature death of her old man, and that she's become much more combative and temper-prone since his death. Laura implores Jessica to stop putting up brick walls against the world and to work on not taking out her anger on the other ladies of the house.

Segment 5: Now it's time for the end-of-episode Group Session between Laura Baron and all the ladies to see who passed for the week and who failed. Surprisingly, Gia again goes off on her former Bad Girl running mate, Chrissy, about how Chrissy always sleeps in, does no work, and blows off all the ladies' duties. Chrissy's reaction: "I'm hot, I'm fabulous, and honestly they (the other ladies) are not. They need to wait on the star." [Aside Observation: Chrissy REALLY needs to find her way into the over-the-top world of Pro Wrestling, since she would SO MUCH FIT RIGHT IN!]

Laura is "very disappointed" in Chrissy's behavior this week. Meantime, Jessica and Leanne both express that they feel good about working this week and earning money. Erica again starts spouting about law school (BTW, and I know this from personal experience: The ability to get accepted to or even graduate from Law School DOES NOT MEAN $HIT -- it really doesn't!) -- Says Erica: "I feel the fact I'm in law school means I was chosen to be Manager, and some of the girls just don't like that."

So Who Passed and Who Failed??? Courtnee again asserts herself strongly in this episode, proclaiming: "I worked, I'm going to pass -- Gia and Chrissy need to fail for not embracing the program!" You Go, Courtnee! At any rate, Courtnee, Amber, Jackie, Leanne and Pam all pass (no surprises there). Chrissy of course fails for blowing off the whole week and its lesson.

Segment 6: Next up is Jessica, who says to Laura Baron, "Can I say something before you fail me?" Laura says, "NO. Know why? Because I'm passing you this week." Third best moment of the episode right here: With the news of Jessica passing, Amber lets out this huge-ass "HEEE-YOOOOO" like one the Duke Boys flying the General Lee over a river or something! Now, Amber is from Savannah, Georgia, a mere 30 miles away from Hazzard County & Roscoe P CoalTrain, and so I guess this comes as no real surprise. But it was very funny! So I digress. Jessica passed, but Laura warns her to reign in her temper and attitude in the future. Jessica admits, "I'm aware I have a bit of a temper." ("A Bit" -- NOOO!).

Erica: She's failed every single prior week, but this week she passes! Laura was impressed that she took her manager job seriously. Gia: Gia tries to plead her case for passing, saying that she didn't even want to go to work, but yet did go and did work until she quit (with a pitch like that, who needs criticisms, right!?). Laura Baron is unimpressed: "But you quit. So you fail."

Who's VIP, Very Improved Princess? Erica actually wins this! "I'm proud of myself, and I deserve to be VIP," crows Erica. Laura Baron's rationale for this reward: Erica took the lesson and work seriously, helped others with resumes, (allegedly) showed leadership and the abililty to change (she changed her tone with Gia at CEO Michael's behest), and showed great restraint when verbally attacked by Gia (I agree with that). BUT AGAIN, Nice Gals like Courtnee and Amber are completely excluded from this Prize since it involves "improvement," and they have both been very well-behaved and contributing since Day 1! It's a very Loaded Prize, aimed to go to ladies who acted badly the prior week(s), only to get their acts together the following week. For the ladies who have ALWAYS acted positively, like Sweeties Courtnee and Amber, they are left out in the cold. Most Unfair!

As the episode ends, Gia is VERY pissed off! "Erica needs to keep her distance from me, because I'm ready to punch her or punch a wall!" As Erica and the other ladies are then shown partying it up in Erica's VIP suite, Gia is shown crying in her bedroom. Then Gia storms out of the entire house and out towards the street. "GET AWAY FROM ME", she yells at everyone! End of Episode.

Upcoming Episodes: In the next episode on Monday, the ladies get to participate in a photo shoot, which they love, but then they find out they also have to do a photo shoot without any makeup on! A meltdown of monumental proportions ensues, since many of these ladies have a HUGE PHOBIA about ever being seen without their makeup! And Chrissy's antics threaten to have her kicked out of the house! (Big Surprise!). Stay tuned...

Final Thoughts: Bad production/editing: They held out Gia storming off at the end of tonight's episode as a cliffhanger, i.e. will she return or not? Then, in the previews of upcoming episodes, it's made clear that she returned! Sorry, but the producers had a very obvious choice here: (1) Use her storming off this episode, but not at the very end as a cliffhanger finish; or (2) Do not show her in your previews of upcoming episodes! Hello!

Boehner the Boozin' "Bar Hopper"?!

The next time republican House minority leader John Boehner goes on one of his loud-mouthed rants on the House floor, someone might consider telling him to go have another drink. That's what MSNBC's Joe Scarborough is saying, leastways. Today Scarborough (a former Florida republican congressman) charged that Boehner is a bar hopper who's always bustin' out of Congress around 5 o'clock to hit the DC bar scene.

Scarborough also said that Boehner's "not a hard worker" and described Boehner as a "disengaged pol whose work ethic doesn't hold a candle to that of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich." To me, those are the real fightin' words here -- being accused of not even living up to standards of Newt Gingrich!

The response from Boehner's spokesperson was a bunch of largely incoherent drivel (perhaps the spokesperson was drinking too?) about Boehner being from a family of 12 kids and how his old man owned a bar (both, obviously, extremely relevant points to the current accusations). The spokesperson, Michael Steel, also claimed that Boehner's only "around town" in DC for fundraising purposes, i.e. basically the classic non-denial denial.

Scarborough and Boehner served together in the House from 1995 to 2001, and it sounds like the two dudes definitely have some issues between them. Maybe they could have a cage match? Just make sure it's held before 5 o'clock.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39219.html

Does Obama Have a Petty Bias AgainstGreat Britain Due to Events of the Past?Sure Looks That Way. & Why Hasn't Anyone Ever Asked Him About It?!

I heard a minute today of deranged right-winger Glenn Beck's radio show, on which he was talking about how Obama's grandfather was brutally tortured for two years (circa 1949-1950) by the British in Kenya during that country's fight for independence from British colonial rule. Beck seemed to treat this story as if it is something new, which it is not, but it most certainly begs the question of why Obama has never been asked about it.

Specifically, I have never seen anyone in the media ask Obama what impact his grandfather's torture has had on Obama's British policy and his behavior towards the British. And even before his election, Obama should have been asked the impact this would have on his British policy, given that Great Britain has historically been America's most imporant ally. Did the MSM (mainstream media) simply drop the ball, or was it deliberate? Regardless, they've really screwed the pooch on this one, since it appears very clear to me that Obama's grandfather's ordeal has impacted the way Obama has dealt with Britain. Let's run through the timeline, shall we?

-December 3, 2008: From google searches, it does not appear that the information concerning the torture of Obama's grandfather came out until multiple media outlets (primarily British ones and Fox News) reported it on 12/3/08 -- a full month after Obama was already elected.

-Mid-February, 2009: Three weeks after his inauguration, Obama abruptly sends a Winston Churchill bust packing back to Britain. The bust had been in the White House on loan from Britain since after 9-11.

-First week of March, 2009: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife travel to DC. Obama tells the Brits at the last minute he wouldn't personally be attending the joint press conference that was planned upon Brown's arrival. In line with diplomatic tradition, Brown during the delegation gives Obama a pen holder made from wood of the famous British warship, the HMS Resolute, as well as the framed commission from that ship. Obama in return dispatches a staffer to Wal-Mart to pick out 25 DVD movies to give to Brown, none of which works in Eurpoean DVD players.

-Flash forward to 2010: A writer for Britain's Telegraph recently described Obama as "the most despised US president since Nixon among the British people." The Telegraph's article complained of the above-listed events as well as Obama's "boot on the throat" campaign against BP ("instead of adopting a constructive, statesmanlike approach") -- a campaign which Telegraph and apparently the British people blame for wiping out half the value of Great Britain's largest company and threatening BP's future as well as the pensions of 18 million British people. And it also hasn't gone unnoticed that just for good measure, Obama has rejected all offers of help from Great Britain (as well as those from other European countries) to help out with the oil spill.

And these are just some examples revealed from a quick google search. I'm sure that further searching would detail other gaffes, slights, and disrespects doled out by the Obama White House towards Britain. The Telegraph concludes that "we are witnessing one of the worst exercises in public diplomacy by a US government in recent memory, one that could cause significant long-term damage to the incredibly important economic and political partnership between Great Britain and the United States." And is that because of or in part due to events that occurred to an Obama ancestor 60 years ago? I think likely so. But we'll never get an answer, now will we, since the MSM -- asleep at the wheel as usual -- apparently will never ask that very relevant question.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1091499/Barack-Obamas-grandfather-tortured-British-Kenyas-Mau-Mau-rebellion.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4623148/Barack-Obama-sends-bust-of-Winston-Churchill-on-its-way-back-to-Britain.html
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2009/03/07/obamas-british-gift-gaffe-not-reported-u-s-media
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100043808/barack-obama-the-most-unpopular-man-in-britain/

Stop the Press! "Kagan Vows to Rule Impartially," Reports Politico.com

And we have confirmation from CNN, which is reporting at this hour that United States Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, on the first day today of her Senate confirmation hearings, "pledges open mind, impartiality if confirmed to Supreme Court." Kagan's vow must come as quite the relief for her dem supporters, since it had been widely anticipated that Kagan might testify today that she intends to take to the bench committed to the principles of partiality, non-objectivity, bias, close-mindedness, and even a touch of unfairness just for good measure. But nothin' doin' on that front!

Be sure to check back here for further summaries of the hard-hitting events from this circus (errrr, hearing). As a tease, currently developing is a new update from CNN reporting that "partisanship marks Kagan hearing." Bombshell!

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0610/kagans_opening_remarks_81ce5a92-b7e2-4a90-b7ca-5ab2b899d918.html
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/28/senate.supreme.court/index.html?hpt=C1

"Supreme Court Strikes Down Chicago Handgun Ban," "Extends Gun Owner Rights Nationwide." Let the Left vs. Right Pissing Match Begin in Response!

Meantime, Independents everywhere yawn.

So, did everyone have a nice weekend? Hotter than a rat in a tin $hithouse in Mississippi? It sure was around here.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062802134_pf.html

The Great Pornograghy Pickle: USSC Nominee Elena Kagan Is Anti-Smut, But Can Either Repubs or Dems Really Use That to Their Advantage?

With Kagan's Senate confirmation hearings to begin tomorrow, an article in this weekend's Politico.com speaks of Kagan's past writings, statements and litigation track record on the subject of restriction of pornography and other sexually explicit speech, which Kagan would reportedly very much like to restrict through the development of novel new legal strategies aimed at cracking down on that type of content. From my read of the article, a lot of what Kagan has espoused as a young lawyer and more recently as solicitor general gets back to the common theme that she believes that judges should be in the business of making judgments identifying new types of speech -- through a wide-open "balancing" of the speech's costs versus its benefits -- as "low value" or "minimal value," such that the speech could be very freely censored and restricted by the government.

One critic alleges that Kagan really only viewed pornography and obscenity law as a sort of starting point that could then be extrapolated to other forms of speech that Kagan views as being "low value." To me, this line of thinking is potentially very dangerous given what I see on a daily basis in this country from a dem and repub party controlled by their extremes, i.e. members of the far left and far right who have an outright disdain and lack of respect for anyone who disagrees with them on anything. For example, I see a huge potential for restrictions upon political speech, such as political speech coming from the right or center, which a liberal like Kagan happens to disagree with and views to be "low value." And what would likewise stop some right-wing judge from similarly trying to apply a willy-nilly "balancing test" to political opinion coming out of the left? I say we leave the ol' speech "balancing test" in the closet, thank you, ma'am. (BTW, the Supreme Court roundly rejected such a balancing test in a Kagan case in recent years). But I digress.

Back to the question of whether dems or repubs might try to use any of this during the confirmation hearings, specifically in reference to the pornography issue. Dems might well like to get into this because Kagan's anti-smut views (generally consistent with many social conservatives' viewpoints) tend to go against the far leftist label that repubs would like to try to hang on her. But Politico reports that dems will be hesitant to get into an issue that previously caused a near civil war within the American feminist movement (anti-censorship feminists versus anti-pornography ones).

On the repub side of things, many more-libertarian type republicans are sure to be concerned with Kagan's viewpoints in this entire area, while socially conservative republicans really wouldn't want to touch Kagan's anti-smut viewpoints with a ten-foot pole. My guess: You will hear very little about any of this from either side. Congressional hearings are all about face-time, grandstanding and speechmaking rather than taking any type of calculated risks, after all -- even in an area of such vital importance as the First Amendment and our free speech protections.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39034_Page3.html

He Gets My Vote for Jerkwad of the Month:Joe Biden Calls Ice Cream Parlor Manager a "Smartass" After Manager Jokes About "Lowering Our Taxes."

OK, I'm not going to harp or rant about this one for too long. But suffice it to say, Joe Biden really needs to learn a thing or two about the dignity of the office of the vice presidency, because when Biden isn't dropping F-bombs or saying something incredibly stupid as if we was George W. Bush's long lost twin, then he's off acting all thin-skinned (a very distinct trait of this White House) with an ice cream parlor manager. Here's what went down this weekend, according to television station WISN in Milwaukee (link to video at bottom, which has predictably also been picked up today by Drudge Report and Real Clear Politics):

Biden, who's in Wisconsin to raise funds for dem Senator Russ Feingold, struts into a Kopps ice cream/frozen custard joint for a photo op and treats himself to some frozen custard. Biden asks the joint's manager, "What do we owe you?" The manager tells Biden, "Don't worry, it's on us," and then jokes with Biden, "Lower our taxes and we'll call it even." Biden is very clearly not amused and walks away without making any eye contact with the manager. Then, after what is described as a few minutes later, the two are seen together again, this time with Biden looking at the manager and telling him, in what I believe to be a fairly serious tone, "Why don't you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time -- say something nice."

WISN reports that Biden would not take any questions from reporters following the ice cream parlor visit, but the reporter was able to get the manager to go on camera. The manager said he believed Biden was not happy with the "lower our taxes" comment, and also said that later Biden told him, "I'm just kidding." Now, whether the "I'm just kidding" was in reference to Biden's "smartass" blast or something else is not clear from the story.

But I think that's really a moot point. Even if Biden is claiming he was only "kidding" about the "smartass" comment, specifically, that's little more than a largely self-serving, non-credible statement given Biden's obviously serious tone in calling the dude a "smartass." But maybe Biden should be given the benefit of the doubt? After all, calling someone a "smartass" is always very fertile ground for humor and comedy -- a veritable barrel of laughs, as they say. Please. But regardless, as stated at the top, I'm not going to rant and rave about this, since there are much worse things a dude can be called than "smartass." But again, I would just implore the vice president to much more routinely start acting like a vice president instead of the result of some demented cross-breeding experiment between a drunken sailor and Dan Quayle. That's not much of a legacy.

http://www.wisn.com/video/24053410/index.html

If This Slime Was My Hero, I'd Hope Someone Would Send Me In For Shock Therapy.

Reuters reports today from Gori in the country of Georgia (first link at bottom): "Authorities removed a towering statue of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin from the central square of his hometown in the dead of the night on Friday, carting away the monument to Georgia's most famous native." Apparently it was necessary to do this under the cloak of darkness because Stalin's statue and his memory hold a certain degree of popularity in Georgia. As one local journalist is quoted: "[The statue's removal] was very unexpected. I think many people will be very angry."

But never fear, all you Stalin-adoring Georgians! You'll still be able to see this statue of your murderous former dictator and favorite native son at a Theater Near U! Specifically, the statue has merely been removed to a local Stalin museum, where it will be publicly displayed in a courtyard.

Wow. A museum, statue, and public sentiment commemorating one of the most evil men to ever walk the earth. Dude was Adolph Hitler's left-wing older brother, responsible for the murder of millions of people through political and ethnic purges (check Wiki link below). Together, Hitler and Stalin serve as important and relatively recent reminders of the absolute extremes to which far left and far right ideology, paranoia and hate can be taken. Stalin and Hitler are never to be forgotten, but they should also never be admired or memorialized.

http://alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE65O04Q.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_stalin

"Crazed Sex Poodle"?! Watch It There, Missy. This Man Invented the Damn Internet!

As the news has broken in the past 12 hours about allegations from a 54-year-old Oregon masseuse that Al Gore fondled and groped her in 2006, today the details of the woman's report to the police are emerging. Among them: She says that Gore was a "giggling 'crazed sex poodle' " who flashed a "come hither look before pouncing on her in a Portland hotel suite" at the Hotel Lucia.

But the masseuse didn't stop there with her Inconvenient allegations. She also portrayed Gore "as a tipsy, handsy predator who forced her to drink Grand Marnier, pinned her to a bed, and forcibly French kissed her." She also reportedly described Gore as a person "with a violent temper, as well as [an] extremely dictatorial commanding attitude besides his Mr. Smiley Global Warming concern persona." OUCH!

And that's not even the worst of it! As The Smoking Gun reports, "after fleeing Gore's suite, the woman returned home to discover, a la Lewinsky, 'stains on the front of my black slacks.' Suspecting that the stains were Gore bodily fluids, the woman mad sure not to clean them."

The masseuse is so far anonymous, but we know that's not likely to last very long. She's reportedly looking to sell her story, and so I think we'll learn her identity in pretty short order. Stay tuned...

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0624101gore1.html