Another Transplanted Southerner

God Punishing The Red States For Being Hypocritical Blasphemers

2010-04-25T01:17:00.002-04:00

God is obviously fed up with the blasphemous hypocrites in the red states. Tornadoes that kill a whole bunch of people NEVER hit New York or California. Today God decided to take vengeance on Haley Barbour's own personal teabagger fiefdom, Mississippi:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100425/ap_on_re_us/us_severe_weather;_ylt=Ai04NVgLmkjrKWJOooNC6rms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNoM2UwcnRhBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDI1L3VzX3NldmVyZV93ZWF0aGVyBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMgRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDMTBraWxsZWRhc3Rv

"The Blind Side" Number One At The Box Office

2009-12-07T15:15:00.002-05:00

Coach Saban's movie, "The Blind Side", is now NUMBER ONE at the box office. Alabama's football team is NUMBER ONE in the country. If the movie continues to shadow Coach Saban's success, if 'Bama wins the National Championship on January 7th (and they really should), then logically Sandra Bullock should win the the Oscar for Best Actress!

Roll Tide Roll!!

2009-12-05T23:03:00.003-05:00

Alabama beat Florida for the SEC Championship and will be playing for the National Championship!!! Happy Happy Joy Joy!!! And to top it off, my favorite player Javier Arenas picked off what would have been a touchdown for Florida in the fourth quarter!!! And our Mark Ingram has a real chance to win the Heisman Trophy, which would be the first for Alabama!!! Roll Tide Roll!!!

Alabama - Auburn Game

2009-11-27T22:02:00.004-05:00

FINALLY!!! I've been waiting YEARS for Alabama to win at Auburn and today they did!! Coach Saban is having a good Thanksgiving weekend: the team is now 12-0 and "his" movie "The Blind Side" beat "New Moon" at the box office on Thanksgiving Day. Now on to the SEC championship game against #1-ranked Florida (they play Florida State tomorrow). Roll Tide Roll!!!

"It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"

2009-10-29T00:42:00.001-04:00

I've been watching this show for about a year now. I've come to the conclusion that the characters have no chance of possibly getting into Heaven, know it, and don't care. Five stars, the funniest, most disturbing thing on TV.

Woo Hoo! World Series Winner!!!

2009-10-28T23:33:00.001-04:00

I'm a Yankees fan but live in Pennsylvania. Either way, I win.

Best Comment of the Day

2009-10-02T16:18:00.002-04:00

obiwan2112 said...

"This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Any idiot knows that a crowbar, not a monkey wrench, is the appropriate tool for removing a severed head from a tuna can."

See what he's commenting on at:

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/02/book-ted-williams-frozen-head-used-for-batting-practice/?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl5link4http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.fanhouse.com%2F2009%2F10%2F02%2Fbook-ted-williams-frozen-head-used-for-batting-practice%2F

It's actually a pretty sad/disturbing story, but that comment made me laugh!

AK-47 Giveaways

2009-09-28T15:53:00.003-04:00

First it was a car dealer giving away AK-47s with purchase of a vehicle. Now there's a guy running for state adjutant general down in South Carolina who held a "maching gun social" and gave one away. AK-47s are commie guns. These are the weapons that were pointed at our American soldiers in Vietnam. Purchase of the AK-47 benefits Putin's Russia, not our own America. Why do these people hate America? Why not give away an American product? These people benefit the Russian economy at the expense of the American economy. That's not patriotic.

Singapore Grand Prix

2009-09-26T20:46:00.002-04:00

The race is tomorrow. Fantastic track - especially at night. It's been an eventful year so far - very interesting.

Health Reform

2009-09-26T20:40:00.002-04:00

Health reform with individual mandates but without a public option is just a big giveaway to the health inurance companies.

Great "Law and Order"

2009-09-26T20:38:00.002-04:00

There's a great "Law and Order" on now - I think it was also on last night but I was watching Larry O'Donnell fill in for Keith on MSNBC.

On Teddy Kennedy's Passing

2009-08-27T17:26:00.002-04:00

Everybody is stumbling over themselves talking about what a great man Teddy Kennedy was, how he was the big champion of health care for all, etc. They seem to forget that it was Teddy Kennedy that put a stopper on health care for all, and other progressive ideas, in 1980. It was Teddy Kennedy that gave us Ronald Reagan and the "Greed Is Good And Poor People Suck" philsosphy of government we've had to live with ever since. Teddy Kennedy could have easily gotten health care for all during Jimmy Carter's second term, but because of Teddy Kennedy's ego there was no second term for Jimmy Carter.

Sarah Palin: Socialist On Health Care, Too?

2009-08-12T17:59:00.003-04:00

On Friday, Sarah Palin said: "The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care." (http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=24718773587)

In a purely Socialist society, all would be cared for, no matter what their productivity level. In a purely Capitalist society, only those that are productive would be necessary and the rest would be deemed to be unnecessary and "disposed of" like so much unwanted trash. So it seems she's promoting Socialism yet again.

In 2007, she increased taxes on oil and gas companies operating in Alaska - up to 25% on profits from North Slope oil - and gave every Alaskan a check for $3,269. (http://mccain.voterfactcheck.com/facts/11/palin_windfall_profits_tax_344511.shtml)

Do other states do this to industries that do well in their states? Do the credit card companies pay windfall profits taxes that get distributed to the citizens of Delaware? Nope. "Alaska is the only state that shares revenue profits with all of its citizens every Alaskan receives a check once a year for their share of the oil revenues." (sic)(http://www.thelandofthefree.net/conservativeopinion/2009/07/31/sarah-palin-an-alaskan-enigma/) This, of course, is in addition to the taxes oil and gas companies pay already.

In a truly Capitalist society, the oil and gas companies would not pay those excess taxes. Taking from the "rich" (oil and gas companies) and giving to the "poor" (the citizens of Alaska) is pretty much the definition of Socialism.

So, is she a Capitalist or a Socialist? She says she's a Capitalist but her words and deeds point to Socialism. So, what is she? Capitalist or Socialist? Or just a political opportunist who says and does whatever is politically expedient at the time and who actually doesn't know her ass from her elbow? I'll let you decide.

References:http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=24718773587
http://mccain.voterfactcheck.com/facts/11/palin_windfall_profits_tax_344511.shtml
http://www.thelandofthefree.net/conservativeopinion/2009/07/31/sarah-palin-an-alaskan-enigma/

Health Care Reform

2009-08-11T20:56:00.004-04:00

I've been busy for quite awhile and haven't had the time nor inclination to write, but the health care reform issue deserves attention. From what I understand, the reason that health insurance costs and health care costs are so high is because the insured are having to foot the bill for the uninsured and under-insured. The way to fix this problem is not to make sure everyone has the opporunity to obtain affordable health insurance, it is to make those who aren't paying pay. The first step in this is to reform the bankruptcy laws. Right now, medical costs can be discharged in bankruptcy proceedings. Student loans can't be discharged, so why should medical costs? If the medical cost debtors still don't pay, throw them in jail and make them work it off. William Morris, who was one of the upstanding signers of the Declaration of Independence and who financed the American Revolution, ended up in debtor's prison in 1798. While it is true that debtor's prisons pretty much went away in the early-to-mid 1800s, they can be brought back (except in Oklahoma and Tennessee, in which case there would have to be state constitutional amendments). If it was good enough for the financier of our American Revolution, it's good enough for modern debtors. In capitalist America, unlike the rest of the modern world, health care is a commodity like coffee or iron ore or a new TV. Therefore, if you can't afford to pay for medical care, you shouldn't expect to receive it. And those who do receive it should be expected to pay for it upon threat of prison.

References:
http://myvesta.org/history/history_debtorprison.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debtors

Bloomberg - This is Getting Exciting!

2008-01-09T19:53:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_po/bloomberg2008;_ylt=Aq4KtXOiqhrc1nI7n1X5vVCs0NUE

"NEW YORK - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has quietly been polling and conducting a highly sophisticated voter analysis in all 50 states as he decides whether to launch an independent presidential bid, associates said Wednesday."

Lewis Hamilton

2008-01-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

I forgot to update Lewis Hamilton's bid for the F1 championship in his first year - well, he didn't do it. Ended up third in fact - behind the come-from-behind Kimi Raikkonen and last year's champ Fernando Alonzo. Lewis had a really crappy weekend for his final race, and well, it just didn't happen for him this year. But it was an exciting rookie season and he should have a good career.

Bloomberg - Who Does He Hurt More?

2008-01-05T18:38:00.000-05:00

Well, more and more it sounds like he might throw in as a third-party candidate. Iowa is over now with Barak Obama taking the win for the Dems, and Mike Huckabee for the Repubs. If Obama and Huckabee keep up the wins, who would Bloomberg hurt more? I would say Huckabee. Many Repubs are not too thrilled with Huckabee's values-driven pro-non-rich-folk candidacy but would never ever vote for a Dem. So they'll vote for Bloomberg. Obama doesn't have the same worries as Huckabee, not coming from the party of the "Ownership Society" to begin with, so he won't lose votes he never had anyway. If it does end up being a Obama-Huckabee-Bloomberg race, Obama wins easily.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T02:04:00.001-05:00

Well, more and more news points to Michael Bloomberg, NYC's outstanding mayor, possibly making a third-party run - I thought he might run. Maybe I was right.

There's a "Flight of the Conchords" marathon on HBO Zone East now, very funny stuff!

I have somehow become a bit addicted to court shows on tv, not Court TV but Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown, etc., and some of the litigants are downright scary!

Have a good 2008!

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Bloomberg Updates

2007-08-16T23:48:00.000-04:00

England's young Mr. Hamilton is still leading, and I'm beginning to think we may have our first rookie F1 Champion since, well, I guess, the first F1 Championship (don't quote me on that)! As much as I love Fernando Alonzo, and believe me, I do, I'm really rooting for Lewis - he's so good! He's winning on tracks he's still learning! He may be the man to make F1 in America - he has so much more natural charisma than Michael Schumacher, and his family situation really adds to the "storyline", as Americans are so drawn to - he brother is, oh, what do they call it nowdays - "differently abled". Basically, he spends a lot of time in a wheelchair, and he's his brother's biggest fan - I'm pretty sure he and their Dad are at all the races. And Lewis is naturally handsome, too, which never hurts! Beautiful smile! Scuttlebutt is that he's advertising's next Tiger Woods, and I don't doubt it - especially if he wins the championship.

Mikey Bloomberg -well, at this point, the question is "will he or won't he" - it's now to that point (I said he might around 2 years ago). If he does get in as a third party candidate, I don't think he'll pull a Perot and drop out and then get back in at the last minute (Perot's dropping out lost it for him - he could have won and we could have been spared the Clinton years AND the Bush years). I think if Giuliani gets the Republican nomination, Bloomberg will run as an independent. Everyone who actually LIVES OR HAS LIVED in NYC prefers Bloomberg to Giuliani (unless they suffer from amnesia or got a cut of the action).

Why Some Democrats Don't Hate McCain

2007-08-16T23:29:00.000-04:00

He was on The Daily Show again tonight - his 10th appearance. The fact that he makes any effort whatsoever to speak to all people, not just the "approved" audience, makes an impact. And, to be perfectly honest, he's actually a nice guy. I met him 15 or 20 years ago, while I lived in the DC area, at National Airport (as it was called back then) and he was standing in line at the gate to check in to a flight to Arizona (can't remember whether it was Phoenix or Mesa or another city). Let me stress this - he was standing in the "normal people" line. Alone. I was catching a flight to I don't remember (probably Birmingham) and recognized him and, since I've always known Congressmen because of Daddy and didn't feel the least bit self-conscious about approaching him, went over and said "Hi". We had a nice little 2 or 3 minute chat and then I left him because I didn't want to annoy him (I figure everyone has their limit!) and my impression was a good one - a nice guy, not condescending to me (although I'm a blonde!), and generally likeable. I do realize that today is different than 15 - 20 years ago, but I do hope he has maintained his cordiality toward us people that stand in the "normal people" line - I get the impression that he has. And that's why some Dems don't hate him - he's too likeable!

Cut Lindsay Some Slack

2007-07-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

Lindsay Lohan's well-publicized partying is just that - well publicized. Back when I was her age, there were no such things as digital cameras, cell phone cameras (or even cell phones, for that matter!), or websites on which to post candid photos. I am certain that Hollywood starlets have always partied their asses off, putting Lindsay to shame even, but there was just no mechanism around such as the web to inexpensively and easily document and publicize such events. Just read all the Hollywood tell-all books from the earlier eras - they've got the dirt. A good starting point would be "Hollywood Babylon" by Kenneth Anger. The most gargantuan problem that Lindsay has is not that she really enjoys partying, it is her inability to NOT GET CAUGHT!

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Bloomberg Updates

2007-06-11T16:34:00.000-04:00

Lewis Hamilton has won his first race, yesterday's Canadian Grand Prix, and will be in the USA to race in this weekend's US Grand Prix in Indianapolis. He now leads the F1 Championship race by 8 points over his McLaren Mercedes teammate, two-time (and current) World Champion Fernando Alonzo. This kid is just fantastic!!

In other news, I keep reading that it's possible that Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of NYC, may throw his hat into the ring as an independent. A Bloomberg-Hagel independent ticket would definitely be in interesting addition to the election season. I've been thinking he might run for awhile now.

The "I was on drugs" Defense Doesn't Work When You're Clean, Bitch!

2007-05-23T08:51:00.000-04:00

What a complete liar. Trying to blame drugs for her actions. Lying's a sin, too, bitch!! From

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/woman-jailed-for-attempted-fetus-theft/20070522225609990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

"I'm sorry for what happened to Valerie and for what part I had in it,"
Conner said. "I'm not that kind of person. I was on drugs then." But Armstrong
County District Attorney Scott Andreassi said blood tests after the Oct. 13,
2005, attack showed no intoxicants in Conner's system.

Well, at least she'll be in prison from 22 to 50 years. I wonder what female prisoners do to women who try to steal another woman's unborn child - I wonder if it's anything like what male inmates do to child molesters - I guess she'll be finding out soon enough!

Bloomberg Presidential Run?

2007-05-16T00:10:00.000-04:00

It's looking more and more like he might do it:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070515-123142-3314r.htm

Lewis Hamilton in Time Magazine

2007-04-13T13:41:00.000-04:00

Lewis Hamilton, the new rookie Formula One racer from England on the McLaren team, has already made Time magazine, and he hasn't even started his third race yet! In last week's race, he outbraked Ferrai's Massa in a heart-elevating move to get into second place and went on to finish second. This kid races like he's got some of Schumacher's championship blood in him - he'll get the championship not this year and probably not next year, but maybe 2009 will be his first championship year. Oh, yeah, and he's the first black driver to make it into Formula one.

Here's the link:

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1609725,00.html

"300" - Unexpected Hit?

2007-03-12T18:06:00.000-04:00

I don't see how anyone could be surprised that this is a hit. Although I haven't see it (yet - note that I hardly ever actually go to a movie, I have cable and patience!), I have seen another movie based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, a little film called "Sin City", and just based on that I could have told you people will go see "300". Even if the story sucks, the cinematography alone would be worth the price of admission!

Mikey's In The Big Race!!

2007-02-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

The first of the Duels just finished up and Michael Waltrip qualified into the Daytona 500!! Great news after the week he's had!!

Four More Years!!! Yippee!!!

2007-02-15T14:44:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070215/ap_en_tv/tv_nbc_olbermann

Keith Olbermann has signed on to do four more years of Countdown on MSNBC. Good! Love this guy!!

Liv Tyler on Dieting

2007-02-15T02:06:00.000-05:00

From New York Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/497451p-419137c.html

(near the bottom of the page)

On having given up dieting after the birth of her child:

""I've been eating and not gaining weight. In fact, I recently lost 10 pounds!"

Makes sense - stop stressing about food and your body won't react to the stress of a food issue by conserving in anticipation of a famine.

He Can't Drive 55

2007-02-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/02/14/mwaltrip.penalties/index.html

Well, he can drive his backup. Thursday is going to be a nail-biter. Good luck, Mikey!

Movie Awards Season So Far

2007-01-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

The Golden Globes and the SAG awards are over, and so far so good. Still have the Oscars to go. I'm so happy for Jennifer Hudson, she must be in heaven! I'd love to be at her party when she wins the Oscar - that'll be one for the ages! Nice to see Eddie Murphy getting some recognition. I've always liked him, especially in "Trading Places". I feel sorry for everyone who is in the Best Actor category who isn't Forest Whitaker - he's just terrific. And Helen Mirren playing the Queen in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death - who's going to vote against that? As far as Director, it's Martin Scorsese's year - Leonardo is right, he's really due for an Oscar. For Best Picture, I'd like the comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" to win, but it's up against some pretty tough competition.

I Wonder If She Will Get To Keep Her Hand . . .

2006-12-30T14:33:00.000-05:00

From the "News and Observer" down in North Carolina comes this:

Woman charged with castration

Leah Friedman, Staff Writer

LILLINGTON - Police continue to investigate a Christmas party they say ended with a woman trying pull a man's genitals off. Rebecca Arnold, 34, was charged with malicious castration and taken into custody early Tuesday. She was released from Harnett County jail Wednesday afternoon on $50,000 bail.

Read the rest here: http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/526850.html

And then see:

Deuteronomy 25 (New International Version)

11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her
husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private
parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

Found at: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=5&chapter=25&version=31

Saddam Hussein Verdict and Sentence

2006-11-06T00:40:00.000-05:00

Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced to death, to be hanged. I am not in favor of the death penalty in this case, not for any human rights reason, but because I really think it isn't a good idea to have Satan and Saddam team up. I say let's put off that possibility as long as possible, sentencing him to life no parole and then keeping him alive artificially if necessary to keep him from teaming up with Satan as long as possible.

Difference between Jon and Stephen

2006-10-11T23:51:00.000-04:00

I may be slow out of the gate, but I do finally catch up - I finally figured out the difference between The Daily Show and The Colbert Report - The Daily Show is news with witty bits thrown in, whereas The Colbert Report is a parody. Both are wonderful.

Nancy Grace's Next Target?

2006-09-17T01:14:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060917/ap_on_re_us/baby_kidnapped

UNION, Mo. - A grandmother of a newborn girl stolen from a rural home
pleaded Saturday for the baby's safe return, as authorities searched for an
abductor who stabbed and seriously injured the infant's mother before fleeing
with the child.
......
The child's mother said she did not know her attacker, police said. Stephanie Ochsenbine, 21, was in stable condition Saturday following surgery.
"She's torn apart," Raylene Ochsenbine said.

I do hope someone warned the family not to talk to Nancy Grace.

Clix

2006-08-17T01:27:00.000-04:00

I really like the new Nick Lachey commercial for Clix. That guy is hot! Jessica Simpson is an idiot! I especially like the part when the gay guy eyes him and Nick decides whether to count him or not, and decides "why not". It shows that Nick is comfortable with his heterosexuality and not bothered that a gay guy takes a look - very cool!

"Rescue Me"

2006-07-26T17:02:00.000-04:00

If you like the TV show "Rescue Me", T-Mobile doesn't want you as a cutomer.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/437692p-368819c.html

Wireless company T-Mobile, whose ads have featured the likes of Paris Hilton
and Snoop Dogg, has yanked its advertising from FX in protest over the graphic content of the series "Rescue Me" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
The pullback came on direct orders from T-Mobile CEO Robert Dotson, reported Ad Age, after he was flooded with protest E-mails generated by the Rev. Donald Wildmon's Mississippi-based American Family Association. Wildmon's group has been protesting against graphic TV content for decades, and it rarely gets a response as supportive as Dotson's.

You can cancel you T-Mobile service by calling 800-937-8997, and you can complain about the hypocricy of the company (Paris, the porn star, is ok, but "Rescue Me", the series about America's bravest, isn't) by calling company HQ at 425-378-4000.

Delaware River Flooding

2006-06-28T18:14:00.000-04:00

I've never seen it this bad. It's worse here than it was during the floods of April 2004 and Ivan, and those are the two that I know best. I live less than 10 miles from the Delaware River so I'm able to recognize many of the images on TV. There was even an inch of water on my patio this morning from all the rain and runoff, and water has never even topped my patio the entire time I've been here. It has subsided since the morning and the patio is now dry, but good grief! A state of emergency has even been declared for New Jersey, and the Trenton area hasn't even seen the worse of it yet. The weather guy on TV just said it is the worst flooding in decades. I can believe that.

Pro-Life Hero of the Week: Birthgiver Jana Lee Knoell Traynor

2006-05-20T12:34:00.000-04:00

At least she didn't get an abortion. . .

From "The Facts.Com" of Brazoria County, Texas, in a story entitled "Mother of abused baby faces charges" written by Jen Sansbury, published May 20, 2006, about a little 10 week old baby:

http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=8301b809f2af2671
. . .

"The baby, Kloey Alaine Traynor, died March 11 at Texas Children’s Hospital as a result of severe injuries, including fractured ribs and brain hemorrhaging. She initially had been taken to Brazosport Regional Health System on March 8 because she had bruises on her neck and chest and was having trouble opening her mouth."
. . .

"The infant had three fractured ribs as well as bruises on her body and hemorrhaging of the brain and eyes, according to an autopsy summary report from the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office.The report also reveals a lengthy list of injuries, including 19 old rib fractures,
mostly to Kloey’s back.“The ‘old’ fractures are calloused and are probably 4-6 weeks old,” the report states. “Fractures probably caused from someone squeezing the child due to location of fractures on child’s body. Great force required causing fractures, especially for this child because newborns’ ribs are very flexible, making it difficult to actually break. All noted ribs were completely broken.” The report shows the medical examiner also found bruising on Kloey’s chest and abdomen, the back of her head, her buttocks, elbows, an earlobe, under her jawline and along the left side of her body, plus hemorrhaging in deep tissue in muscles in her neck, back and chest."

“This child was in constant pain,” said Richwood Police Chief Glenn Patton.

"Dateline" Tonight

2006-05-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

Once again, "Dateline" is doing the thing where they have the pervs coming to the house thinking that they're going to score with a 12-year old girl. OK, WE GET IT ALREADY!!! In case y'all haven't see this weekly segment, it boils down to this: Dateline seems to be of the view that all men are perverts and if they thought they could get away with it, every last one of them would bang your 12-year-old daughter. They've made it their mission to show as many of them being perverts as they possibly can. WE GET IT - MEN ARE PERVS. Now move on to something that affects and causes harm to ALL AMERICANS, not just stupid, undersupervised teenage girls.

Patrick Kennedy - Drunk? No. Not at all.

2006-05-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: I now have a link for an Ambien article in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/08/business/08ambien.html?ex=1146974400&en=cc6328ea6d2bbd20&ei=5070

The reasons I have for believing Patrick Kennedy's version of the recent events are as follows:

I have heard that Ambien can cause unusual side effects, the most publicized being the "night eating" that has been featured in the news. I can't think of any reason why "night eating" and "night voting" should be differentiated. To most people, eating is a natural everyday thing and voting is a once in a while thing. But to a member of congress, voting is a normal everyday thing as much as eating is. Therefore, the Ambien side-effect for Patrick Kennedy could EASILY be that he has to get to the Capitol to vote, not to the refrigerator to get a snack.

The other reason is that back when I did defense work, I had a case like this, well not exactly but similar. My client was arrested for DUI, the police "smelled the odor of alcohol emanating from his breath" (which they smell EVERY TIME they pull over a car), the client was given a breathalyzer, then a blood test, and then I think they actually tried to squeeze him like a tomato to try to get some, any, alcohol to use against him. Guess what? HE HAD NOT BEEN DRINKING!!! THERE WAS NO "ODOR OF ALCOHOL". The police lied in that and I'm sure countless other cases. My client had hypoglycemia. That's all. Hypoglycemia. And for that the police arrested him and tried to ruin his life, trying to get a DUI conviction. Luckily the prosecutor had some sense and when I got to the hearing and was able to show him the documentation he dismissed the case. BUT, let this be a lesson to EVERYONE, if you are pulled over, the police's view is that you have an odor of alcohol emanating from your breath unless you can show proof that you don't.

Therefore, I believe Patrick Kennedy's version of events.

Plaid Adder at Democratic Underground

2006-05-03T02:42:00.000-04:00

The Plaid Adder has a good post at

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1074322&mesg_id=1074322

Democratic Underground about Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents's Dinner. He has a nice analogy:

"Having been offered the bone of insider status, Colbert, instead of scarfing it up and wagging his tail, bit the hand that fed him."

However, it seems more to me like he took that bone and shoved it up their collective asses - it was a beautiful thing. Go Stephen!

Steny Hoyer - Wrong

2006-05-02T23:28:00.000-04:00

I read something that moved me to write this post, so here goes. Here's where the story is:

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/hoyer.html

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) on Stephen Colbert's speech at White House Correspondents’ Association dinner: “I thought some of it was funny, but I think it got a little rough,” Hoyer said. “He is the president of the United States, and he deserves some respect.”

Deserves some respect? Why? Just because he's the president? It doesn't work that way. The citizens of this country, including Stephen Colbert (and you and me, BTW), deserve respect from him and he obviously doesn't respect us, so why should we respect him? It works both ways. You're wrong on this one, Steny.

Oh, and also, Stephen Colbert was terriffic. I want to thank him and give him a big hug.

Bloomberg on CNN

2006-04-25T19:48:00.000-04:00

Mike Bloomberg is on Wolf Blitzer and he's still insisting that he doesn't want to run for president. At this point he'd lose anyway, because of his hostility toward the Second Amendment. The Republicans of this country seem to like the Second Amendment. They tend to not like people who want to take away their guns. Bloomberg isn't doing his duty as a good Republican. Doesn't he know that the Party comes first, and his duties as an elected mayor fall somewhere after that? Get back in line, Bloomberg!!!

Scott Stapp Whines

2006-03-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

For those unfamilliar with Scott Stapp, he is the former lead singer of the popoular Christian rock group, Creed. From WTOP, which can be accessed here,

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?sid=665915&nid=114&top5=1

"Scott Stapp thinks a recently released sex video showing him and Kid Rock with several strippers is meant to sabotage him."
. . .

"The tape was not the only thing causing Stapp headaches. A day after his wedding, Stapp was arrested for investigation of being drunk at Los Angeles International Airport. He is set for arraignment on March 8.
"You don't want to say it's laughable, but it's just like, my God, there's so much stuff," he said. "Somebody does not like you and somebody wants you to fail.""

Maybe it's God. Maybe God wants you to fail. Maybe He's sick of "holier-than-thou" hypocrites making Him look bad. Maybe this is what those in the Bible business call "reaping what you sow".

Did Sheryl Crow get cancer from Lance Armstrong?

2006-02-25T19:48:00.000-05:00

Is cancer a communicable? According to an article on SFGate.com, titled "UCSF team uncovers possible link between virus and prostate cancer But more research needed to determine causal relationship", written by Sabin Russell, Chronicle Medical Writer, linked here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/02/25/MNG3KHEL8I1.DTL

"Researchers in San Francisco have discovered a new virus inside the tumors of some men with prostate cancer, raising the possibility that a viral infection may play a role in that disease as it does in a handful of other cancers."
. . .

"Some viruses have been clearly implicated in cancer. Hepatitis B increases the risk of liver cancer 100 fold. Cervical cancer is caused by infection with the human papilloma virus, which also causes genital warts. "

Although it is true that Armstrong had testicular cancer rather than prostate cancer, it does make you wonder.

Big Family

2006-02-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

I just saw an advertisement for a new Bill Paxton and Jeanne Tripplehorn series on HBO called something like "Big Family" or something similar about polygamy. I though that polygamy was illegal. Why on earth would a woman want to marry a man who already has a wife? Are women that desperate to have a husband? Or is it just the wedding and bragging rights that women want? It seems to me that women should be the ones able to pick and choose, seeing as women are the ones that actually reproduce. We could do with about a third of the men in this country and still reproduce without running into the interbreding nightmare that is the lot of a lot of European monarchy (have you checked out Prince Charles' ears? Straight out of "Deliverance"!) Just because men can't sort out themselves without someone else to deal with it doesn't mean that women have to come and do it for them. I say "Women, declare your independence!!! If your man can't swim, then let the man sink!!!" And if it takes more than one woman to take care of a man, then go ahead and put that man in the nursing home, because you don't have time for that shit! Woman, you have a life to live, too!!!

Alabama vs. Auburn Heartbreaker

2005-11-20T00:33:00.000-05:00

I knew it was going to be a bad day after Brodie Croyle was sacked on the first play. What a sad, sad game - the first quarter was a complete disaster, and Bama was never able to fully recover.

Harry Potter Goblet

2005-11-20T00:26:00.000-05:00

Wonderful movie, but it did seem a bit choppy at the beginning. That is understandable, though, seeing as the book is so huge and they want to try to get as much in as they can. There was no Quiddich match shown in this movie, but the Triwizard Tournement made up for that. Harry's growing up and becoming a very handsome young man. If only I was about 25 years younger!

Bama Loses to LSU

2005-11-13T00:43:00.000-05:00

Very sad. They never really did get over Prothro's absence. Ever since he got injured, the offense just hasn't had that good of luck. He really did bring magic onto the field. Well, it was a better season than it could have been. They can still beat Auburn.

Bama 8-0

2005-10-31T20:14:00.000-05:00

Woo Hoo!!! Ok, so I didn't get to see the Bama vs. Utah State game because it was being shown on some sort of game plan where I'd have to buy all the games, but I followed the score on the web and I'm happy! Could it be that my dreams for this season could come true? Let's hope!

More on Bloomberg

2005-09-17T03:46:00.000-04:00

In Friday's New York Daily News, located at

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/breaking_news/story/347019p-296146c.html

there is a story that says:

"Mayor Bloomberg, breaking with President George W. Bush and other Republicans, said today he opposes Senate confirmation of John Roberts to be the U.S.’s chief justice because the judge declined to detail his views on abortion rights."

Once again, he's distancing himself from the the conservatives, possibly to attract more moderate Republicans and more conservative Democrats around the country in a presidential bid a few years down the road. When it comes down to it, the issue of overturning Roe v. Wade is not really a factor in the upcoming NYC mayoral race. Maybe the morning after pill could possibly be an issue, but that decision will be taken at the state level. It's no secret that the mayor is pro-choice, anyway. Also, the mayor of NYC does not vote on US Supreme Court nominees. So why issue a statement? I have my suspicions.

Bama vs. Southern Miss vs. NASCAR

2005-09-10T23:02:00.000-04:00

I'm watching both the Bama game, 7-0 at 14:07 in the first quarter (good start!) on ESPN2 and the NASCAR race on TNT, which was exciting for the first few laps, but has settled down a bit now at lap 13. I have to feel a bit of sympathy for Southern Miss, because they took a hit in Katrina, but Bama is my team so I'm rooting for them. Bama just called a fair catch for a punt return - not good. I hope Shula doesn't turn into another Perkins.

Nagin

2005-09-02T11:25:00.000-04:00

If you haven't already heard Mayor Nagin's interview from last night, you must. I don't know how to link it to here, but go to:

http://www.airamericaradio.com/

and in the middle of the page, there is:

9/2 - Click Here to Hear New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on sister station WWL as heard on Air America.

Click on this and it will download for you to listen to.

You can actually hear his heart breaking. He is pissed and he is frustrated and he is right.

Katrina

2005-08-31T20:32:00.000-04:00

"I'm glad I wasn't there and terrified I never will be again. "
- Josh Levin

From
Mourning My New Orleans
Our family has lived there for a century. Where will we go now?
By Josh Levin
Updated Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, at 1:23 PM PT

http://www.slate.com/id/2125352?nav=nw

Very good quote about New Orleans. I feel the same way. I spent three years there. It can just never be the same.

If it does get rebuilt, and I have doubts about that because common sense may prevail over the longings of the heart, there will always be that divide, before Katrina and after Katrina. Although it seems like the flooding after the hurricane caused the worst property damage (so far - but what else could happen), that name will always be associated with this combo disaster.

New Orleans is the most beautiful city in the world. Its architecture is legendary, and the tropical climate provides an abundance of colorful and unusual plants and animals. The people eat animals I'd never even heard of before I arrived. The palmetto bugs freak out the newcomers, but they just get used to them like everyone else does. It withstood the Civil War, the 1915 hurricane, Betsy and Camille, and everything else I can't recall offhand, with grace and dignity, and also with a party-girl streak that no one could beat. The welcoming, friendly, laid-back nature of its inhabitants is not just because of its location in the South, but also because it's just too hot and humid to exert the effort to move fast or be an asshole. It now looks like and has the atmosphere of a very wet war zone.

I don't know whether it should be rebuilt. Although after Camille, Gulfport and Biloxi and other areas were rebuilt, the situation is different for New Orleans. Back when New Orleans was first inhabited and developed, it was small, just the Vieux Carre, and it was on relatively high ground - it was above sea level. As it grew, it spread out into areas that were below sea level. It is also sinking, pushing down even further below sea level. It seems like they have to repave the roads constantly. Some roads are impassable because of the unstable ground, and there are potholes everywhere. Gulfport and Biloxi, on the other hand, are above sea level. New Orleans is in a cereal bowl with two huge bodies of water to the north and south, and it is in a known hurricane path. It is hot and it is humid. In winter. It is unbearable and, in my opinion, uninhabitable in the summer. If you were going to build a city, would you choose to build it knowing all that? New Orleans evolved slowly over time, from a village above the Mississippi River, to a ceral bowl surrounded by walls of water. I don't think that's a good geographical location to place a large population.

But I love New Orleans. And I'm glad I'm not there.

Update on Bloomberg

2005-07-27T03:11:00.000-04:00

According to the Associated Press,

"NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday he has "absolutely no interest" in running for New York governor in 2006 even if his fellow Republican, George Pataki, decides not to seek a fourth term.

"I have never expressed any interest in running for governor. I never
will express any interest in running for governor," Bloomberg said during a news conference with Pataki on an unrelated issue. Bloomberg said he hoped to win a second term as mayor this November."

Could he be thinking of a running for a higher office?

Mayor Bloomberg Positioning for 2008?

2005-07-22T17:34:00.000-04:00

With the recent informative articles contradicting the Bush/GOP party line published by the Bloomberg media empire, could it be that our Michael is looking toward the future? Is it that Mayor Mike is positioning himself as a true Republican patriot, as opposed to the treasonous Republican non-patriots in Washington? Remember, Michael Bloomberg is the Republican Mayor of New York City, and by positioning himself as truth-seeker rather than a truth-oppressor, he could easily appeal to those Republican who are disgusted with Washington but can't bring themselves to vote against their party. Time will tell.

Harry Potter Festivities

2005-07-14T01:47:00.000-04:00

I've never seen such excitement for a book release. Bookstores are planning parties for the midnight unveiling of the new book, which reminds me of the first screenings of the Star Wars movies or midnight record release parties. I'm looking forward to reading this one, and if it's as good as the first five Harry Potter books, I'll be very pleased.

Mind of Mencia

2005-07-07T02:06:00.000-04:00

I'm watching "Mind of Mencia" with Carlos Mencia, and he did a report about the road signs in Southern California depicting what appears to be a running family, father, mother and daughter. After a segment of the report where Carlos goes on the street to ask passers-by what they think the sign depicts and shows his variations on the sign (hilarious!), he speaks with a California public official about the sign and then requests that the camera be shut off so they can speak off the record. Well, somehow the camera must have accidently flipped back on in the process of setting it down, and recorded the public official using a derogatory term usually used in relation with illegal immigrants and bodies of water! How unfortunate for the public official, whose name I unfortunately did not catch! How fortunate for for Carlos!! What a coup! Keep up the good work!!

Mikey out of Pepsi 400

2005-07-03T00:47:00.000-04:00

How disappointing! He needs to get some points soon to get into the chase.

Shula Contract Extension

2005-07-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

I saw on CNN the other day that Coach Mike Shula, University of Alabama's head football coach, signed a one-year contract extension but with no pay raise. Well, I haven't been able to keep up with what's going on down there, but I think Bama may still be on probation and if so, it may be a couple of years before recruitment comes back full force. I hope the fans and those in power can be patient with Coach Shula, I have high hopes for him and give him my support.