Queen Serena-Bow Down Players!

Not only has Serena Williams won the 2009 Australian Open, she has taken over the title of highest paid female athlete ever, surpassing golfing great Annika Sorenstam. Sorenstam retired last year.

Serena knocked off Dinara Safina earlier this morning to the tune of 6-0, 6-3. It was an old fashioned butt whuppin’. Serena finishing the first set in little more than 22 minutes.

That’s a shame, because I like Safina. She’s a good player, just not in Serena’s league when Serena brings her ‘A’ game. But then nobody is in that league. Serena has now won 4 Australians starting back in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009. She must like those odd years.

She also combined with sister Venus to take the doubles title. So these wins now bring her career earnings to 23.5-million dollars.

Oh, and by the way......She’s back to being #1 in the world again....

Go girl!

Heterosexual with Issues?!

Ted Haggard, still confused

Gay, Straight, Bisexual, Transexual and now Heterosexual with Issues.....

Teddy, Teddy, Teddy...First you get dragged kicking and screaming out of the closet...You’re gone for two years to be worked on by some religious counselors from your church, who apparently couldn’t “cure” you of your “issues.”

So now you’re back to apologize....

Apologize for what? Didn’t you do that already? You come back and another man comes falling out of your closet. And when Robin Roberts of Good Morning America asks you flat out if there were some more men hiding in there.....You dodged the question....Ya didn’t answer!

I have some issues, too....Let’s call me a homosexual with issues...except my issues are with what you’re saying these days about yourself....

From your interview today, you don’t seem to have come to terms with or to have forgiven yourself for who you are and what you are. I saw a man this morning still very deeply manipulative...trying to make the world see him for who he wants us to believe he is, rather than who he is. Robin called you on that, too and you denied it.

You say you believe in God....Okay....God made you... So why don’t you trust him? His son Jesus said to love one another as you love yourself....you don’t seem to be loving anyone, especially yourself...

If you could only face yourself, honestly without the hypocrisy in which you’ve wrapped yourself...you could probably return to the pulpit and for the first time in your life be who you think you want to be.

As it stands now, you’re deceiving yourself, forcing your family to stand in the pit of denial that you’ve dug, asking us to buy your hollow self righteousness.

You should do what you’ve told your flock all these years.....Trust Him and He will lead you in the right direction.... Really listen to the words you mouth so easily, yet distrust so mightily...

Can We the People Fire Congress?

I’m talking enmass, all of them at the same time. Can we do that?


We’ve got a new president, a new White House with Congress singing his praises while sitting on their collective ass, waiting for a miracle of change.

At the same time, Congress is singing the same old song....more tax cuts from the GOP, while the now in control Donkey Party sits around with it’s thumb planted firmly up its butt refusing to tell the GOP fools that enough is enough.

I mean who needs a bipartisan mandate. It’s nice to have, but hell, the country is going to hell in a hand basket. These guys aren’t suffering, they just gave themselves a 4700 dollar raise in December while 100,000 of the rest of us got laid off and their jobs folded, not sent overseas to be outsourced...vanished...maybe never to come back again.

Weren’t they paying attention? The country said in November to cut out the dumb shit and get to work, pulling us out of this mess.

Don’t they hear themselves? The grand old party got us into this mess but is now trying to look fiscally responsible by saying careful, “Obama, you’re spending too much money.”

This, after they’ve given away the country to China and Japan. I’ve been telling my friends for years to start learning to speak Mandarin and Japanese...Can you say Konicihiwa.? Hi!

The vaunted TARP money -anybody know where it went? How about you fiscally conservative GOP people-who’s watching the money? Did it make it to the people it was supposed to help? Or did it go to some fat cat named Thain who needed to redecorate his office to the tune of a couple of billion dollars?

And Please...........Don’t even try to tell me that he used his own money for that...Or that the 4-billion dollars in bonuses that he gave to his homies wasn’t taxpayer money....spare me..

I think the thing that got me going is that jerk Thain said while apologizing for his actions, that he needed to pay the bonuses in order to keep good talent from leaving his company....

WTF....DIPSHIT.....WHERE THEY GONNA GO IF YOU SAY THEY CAN’T HAVE THE MONEY....TO ANOTHER WALL STREET OR BANKING FIRM?....OVERSEAS? The arrogant little silver spoon fed piss ants probably can’t even speak English let alone a foreign language.


You know they really do think we’re stupid.......Sometimes I agree with them...

Anybody up for some old fashioned protest action on Capital Hill? I’m talking bodies in the streets..not internet letters and petitions...Well what about it?

Saturday Silliness

After the week we’ve had....Who wants to be serious on Saturday.

I ran across an article in the New York Daily News this morning, listing the best female action stars of all time.

I generally agree with the list, and you can check it out here:

But I would have added a couple more names like..... Trinity, Tamara Dobson, Angela Mao, Mrs. Emma Peel, Uhura from Star Trek, Callisto, and Sharon Stone in that cowboy movie where she played a gunslinger. Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio were in it too.

Instead of Sarah whatever her name is....The TV Buffy the Vampire Slayer girl.....I would have included the woman who played Buffy in the movie.

Go Ahead, you make up your own list...

$35 Thousand Dollars for What?!

Big Balls....REALLY BIG BALLS!

John Thain, fired yesterday as CEO of Merrill Lynch after word came to light of his 4-billion dollar spending spree while Merrill Lynch was tanking, and he was asking the government to help out his company.

Seems Mr. Thain signed off on massive bonuses to his boys, paid himself...redecorated his office with an 87,000 dollar area rug...AND A 35,000 DOLLAR TOILET ON LEGS!

All this while he was laying off workers to save money.......

There needs to a special place in hell for these people.

But save the door man job for Dick Cheney....

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Dick..

The evil one today said Dubya should’ve pardoned Scooter Libby. I got news for you Dick. I think the new administration should come after your ass for crimes against humanity.

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Buckeye John

Question-Does John Boehner really listen to himself when he speaks? I think we need to test the water along the Ohio-Indiana border...There some strange folks raising up over there. And then they get voted into office.

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Caroline Kennedy

I don’t care if she backed out. I'm just glad she came to her senses before she took the job. If I had grown up with her view of politics and its consequences, I would never ever have considered serving in the first place.

I like the idea of having Caroline in the world, just as she is.

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Governor Paterson

I know the brother can’t see....but c’mon now...didn’t you just miss an opportunity to double the number of chocolate Senators in Congress? Didn’t somebody tell you that...Or are you saving that seat for yourself, for when you leave the Governor’s mansion in New York...

Bearing Witness

The last time I stood on the National Mall was during the Million Man March. It was a humbling experience. No matter how cynical one might feel, no matter the amount of bitterness carried within, generated by memories of past slights and injustices, standing on that Mall can bring you to your knees. Chills course through my veins as I try to find words to describe the feelings. My hands are frozen, cold, fighting with the keys, where under normal circumstances, my digits dance, tapping out my thoughts, chronicling my deeds.

233 years after the founding of this country, 144 years after the Civil War ended, 46 years after Dr. King’s Dream, and one day after his official birthday, my dream of a black president, has been realized. 

Obama is in the White House.

Exhale, time to get to work...

Obama's Inauguration Speech January 20, 2009

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.  I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. 

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.  The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.  Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.  At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. 

So it has been.  So it must be with this generation of Americans. 

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.  Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.  Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.  Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered.  Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.  Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.  

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.  They are serious and they are many.  They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.  But know this, America -  they will be met. 

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. 

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. 

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.  The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation:  the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.  It must be earned.  Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.  It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.  Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. 

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.  They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. 

This is the journey we continue today.  We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.  Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.  Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.  Our capacity remains undiminished.  But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed.  Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.  The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.  We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.  We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.  We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.  And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.  All this we can do.  And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.  Their memories are short.  For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. 

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.  The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.  Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.  Where the answer is no, programs will end.  And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill.  Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.  The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.  Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.  Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.  And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born:  know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. 

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.  They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.  Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy.  Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations.  We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.  With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.  We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.  We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers.  We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. 

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.  To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.  To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.  And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.  For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.  They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.  We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.  And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.  It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.  It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. 

Our challenges may be new.  The instruments with which we meet them may be new.  But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old.  These things are true.  They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.  What is demanded then is a return to these truths.  What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled.  In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.  The capital was abandoned.  The enemy was advancing.  The snow was stained with blood.  At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America.  In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.  With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.  Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

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From Whence We've Come

We're caught up in another freeze frame moment and need to take the time to look how far we've travelled. We celebrate Dr. King's birthday, today while looking  forward to the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow....

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"....Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Obama on His Way to Washington

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama - As prepared for delivery
Inaugural Whistle Stop Tour
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 17, 2009

We are here to mark the beginning of our journey to Washington. This is fitting because it was here, in this city, that our American journey began. It was here that a group of farmers and lawyers, merchants and soldiers, gathered to declare their independence and lay claim to a destiny that they were being denied.

It was a risky thing, meeting as they did in that summer of 1776. There was no guarantee that their fragile experiment would find success. More than once in those early years did the odds seem insurmountable. More than once did the fishermen, laborers, and craftsmen who called themselves an army face the prospect of defeat.

And yet, they were willing to put all they were and all they had on the line - their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor - for a set of ideals that continue to light the world. That we are equal. That our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness come not from our laws, but from our maker. And that a government of, by, and for the people can endure. It was these ideals that led us to declare independence, and craft our constitution, producing documents that were imperfect but had within them, like our nation itself, the capacity to be made more perfect.

We are here today not simply to pay tribute to our first patriots but to take up the work that they began. The trials we face are very different now, but severe in their own right. Only a handful of times in our history has a generation been confronted with challenges so vast. An economy that is faltering. Two wars, one that needs to be ended responsibly, one that needs to be waged wisely. A planet that is warming from our unsustainable dependence on oil.

And yet while our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is not. What is required is the same perseverance and idealism that our founders displayed. What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives - from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry - an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels.

That is the reason I launched my campaign for the presidency nearly two years ago. I did so in the belief that the most fundamental American ideal, that a better life is in store for all those willing to work for it, was slipping out of reach. That Washington was serving the interests of the few, not the many. And that our politics had grown too small for the scale of the challenges we faced.

But I also believed something else. I believed that our future is our choice, and that if we could just recognize ourselves in one another and bring everyone together - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, north, south, east and west, black, white, Latino, Asian, and Native American, gay and straight, disabled and not - then not only would we restore hope and opportunity in places that yearned for both, but maybe, just maybe, we might perfect our union in the process.

This is what I believed, but you made this belief real. You proved once more that people who love this country can change it. And as I prepare to leave for Washington on a trip that you made possible, know that I will not be traveling alone. I will be taking with me some of the men and women I met along the way, Americans from every corner of this country, whose hopes and heartaches were the core of our cause; whose dreams and struggles have become my own.

Theirs are the voices I will carry with me every day in the White House. Theirs are the stories I will be thinking of when we deliver the changes you elected me to make. When Americans are returning to work and sleeping easier at night knowing their jobs are secure, I will be thinking of people like Mark Dowell, who's worried his job at Ford will be the next one cut, a devastating prospect with the teenage daughters he has back home.

When affordable health care is no longer something we hope for, but something we can count on, I will be thinking of working moms like Shandra Jackson, who was diagnosed with an illness, and is now burdened with higher medical bills on top of child care for her eleven year-old son.

When we are welcoming back our loved ones from a war in Iraq that we've brought to an end, I will be thinking of our brave servicemen and women sacrificing around the world, of veterans like Tony Fischer, who served two tours in Iraq, and all those returning home, unable to find a job.

These are the stories that will drive me in the days ahead. They are different stories, told by men and women whose journeys may seem separate. And yet, what you showed me time and again is that no matter who we are or what we look like, no matter where we come from or what faith we practice, we are a people of common hopes and common dreams, who ask only for what was promised us as Americans - that we might make of our lives what we will and see our children climb higher than we did.

We recognize that such enormous challenges will not be solved quickly. There will be false starts and setbacks, frustrations and disappointments. And we will be called to show patience even as we act with fierce urgency.

But we should never forget that we are the heirs of that first band of patriots, ordinary men and women who refused to give up when it all seemed so improbable; and who somehow believed that they had the power to make the world anew. That is the spirit that we must reclaim today.

For the American Revolution did not end when British guns fell silent. It was never something to be won only on a battlefield or fulfilled only in our founding documents. It was not simply a struggle to break free from empire and declare independence. The American Revolution was - and remains - an ongoing struggle "in the minds and hearts of the people" to live up to our founding creed.

Starting now, let's take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union.

Let's build a government that is responsible to the people, and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable. 

Let's all of us do our part to rebuild this country.

Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning.

Join me in this effort. Join one another in this effort. And together, mindful of our proud history, hopeful for the future, let's seek a better world in our time. Thank you.

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Ricardo Montalban

The best Star Trek movie ever......The Wrath of Khan.

It was the second full length motion picture after the television series. Ricardo Montalban was Khan, a Moby Dick quoting, genetically engineered genius, who sought revenge on Captain James Tiberius Kirk. 

“From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee “

 Who could forget Montalban as Khan, as he literally spit out those words against Kirk.  Words  from the mouth of Captain Ahab as he tried to kill the monster white whale. He was not successful and neither was Khan. His whale, Captain Kirk, lived to fight another day.

Spock, however, died at the end of the movie.

Montalban died today. He was 88. Family said he passed in his sleep. Montalban also played another of my favorite characters on television, that of Mr. Roark the dapper, white suited caretaker and keeper dreams on Fantasy Island.

May he rest in peace. 

Gay Bishop to Kick off Inauguration

Obama’s inaugural committee has announced that the Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson will deliver the invocation to open festivities for inauguration week in Washington. The event is a Sunday afternoon event at the Lincoln Memorial prior to the inauguration itself, and the prez elect is expected to attend, according to the official press release.

Robinson is the openly gay man elected bishop to the episcopal church in New Hampshire, this back in 2003.  Obama stated that Robinson’s participation is a sign of his commitment to have an open and inclusive administration.

Headlining the free event will be Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Usher, Wil I Am, Bono, Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, and Heather Headley, just to name a few of those scheduled to perform.

For those who can’t make it to the Lincoln Memorial, HBO will televise the event.

Monday Morning Meanderings

Rich Man’s Justice

Bernie Madoff...you know the story by now. Bilked family, friends, clients and customers of an estimated 50 billion dollars, by way of an elaborate ponzi scheme. His sons turned him in. Several business associates who trusted him, have killed themselves, because they couldn’t face the monetary losses. All this while the SEC looked the other way, allowing yet another rich man to feed his greed.

Bernie’s been under house arrest since the scandal broke, living in a seven million dollar apartment with an ankle bracelet, so he can’t legally go anywhere of any consequence, like out of the country. 

This past Christmas, Bernie got caught mailing out a couple million dollars in watches and jewelry to relatives, I would imagine to hide the loot, or to take it to a pawn shop to raise some cash. Whatever his reason, he got caught. It was against the rules laid out by the judge. 

You would think that the judge would have put ole Bernie in jail for violating the terms of his arrest. Well, think again.

The judge slapped him on the wrist with a ruler and sent him back to his multi million dollar jail cell, in Manhattan, to await trial. What we have here is the best justice that money can buy.  

Put his ass in Riker’s. He has not demonstrated any remorse...not said he’s sorry for the guys who’ve killed themselves...He’s literally screwed his family and he gets to wait in a seven million dollar walk up in Manhattan. 

Why is it that rich people do the crime...but never, ever do the time....

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Oakland Execution

A black man gets arrested by police for partying too much. He’s made to lay face down on the ground. One officer puts his knee on the man’s back. Another officer pulls his gun puts the muzzle to the man’s back and pulls the trigger. All this in front of a crowd with cell phone cameras. You can see the execution on Youtube.  The cop has not been arrested or charged. Oakland people have been rioting for a several days. The mainstream media has not really reported this story, yet. 

The same goes for former Cincinnati Reds Player, Bobbie Tolan’s kid Robbie. Robbie and his cousin were accosted by a police officer in Houston, in his driveway. Robbie and cuz had completed a run to Jack in the Box for some burgers...kind of like us in the Queen City, jonesing for White Castle. Robbie was driving a real expensive car and lives in a pretty white neighborhood. 

The cop took him for a car thief. Somehow during the confrontation, Robbie was shot in the chest. He is alive. But....Shot by a cop, in his own driveway, in his own neighborhood that was not the ghetto...This the son of a reasonably famous sports figure? It happened just after New Years....Why is nobody talking or reporting about this? Did I miss this story? 

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Black Reporters

Now that we’ve got a Black president (soon), a lot of people are asking why are there so few black reporters in the White House Press Corp. I’ve been asking that question for years, since 1974, when I became a reporter.  The main stream is no different than any other American corporate establishment...overwhelmingly male and overwhelmingly white. 

Despite all the talk about post racial America now that Obama is set to live in the White House, the window dressing factor is still in play....in other words.....one black face, occasionally, or at the receptionist desk up front, equals integration and equality.

They want more Black reporters....call me....I will be happy to come out of retirement.  You want my resume, read my blogs and call me. 

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Dubya’s Last News Conference

Bush held his last news conference today....said the economic trouble started before he got into office and will continue after he leaves...REALLY!  Dubya also said he made some mistakes....SHUTUP!....Says we “misunderestimated him!”  WTF!

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Joe the Plumber, er War Correspondent

I can’t really comment on this...He’s in Israel. I find it tremendously insulting to those of us who are or were REALLY reporters. It’s like a two year old picking up a toy gun and playing soldier.

Give me a f**** break...

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My Boy Ann

Anyone get the latest about Ann Coulter’s voting misadventures? If I read correctly, sort of between the lines...isn’t the guy who broke the story...the one she calls a stalker....saying that girlfriend voted twice...isn’t that illegal? Shouldn’t she be locked up for voter fraud? It’s in the Daily News, this past weekend.  She never denied the report...just claimed the guy was stalking her..hmmmmmmmmmm

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The Atlantic ran an article titled, “The End of White America.”  The article rightly claims that America is getting browner. But that only means more poor people. So called whites, still control most of the wealth, Bob Johnson, his ex and Oprah are still anomalies rather than the norm.

Men in Tights

Coming to America, Pantyhose for Men

Hypothetical situation- You’re in a club, the music is banging, you got your drink on, standing there at the bar surveying the room with your BFF, when in walks god. This guy is the be all, end all of your dreams and you just have to have him, before the night is out. 

You make eye contact and he must like what he sees because soon you two are on the dance floor, all night, til the club closes. You know from the way his hands have been exploring your body, that this one is coming home. 

You make out in the car, you’re kissy face in the hallway, you nearly break down the door rather then unlock it. Clothes are landing everywhere, yours on the floors, his on the chair. You step back for a moment, turn around to admire him in all his almost naked splendor, and he’s standing there in pantyhose. The correct name is “mantyhose,” but now is the not the time for semantics.

What do you do? 

Seeing a man in pantyhose has been no big deal since Joe Willy Nameth put them on back in the late 60's. There was even a half hearted effort to get guys to wear them under their football uniforms for warmth back in the day. But nobody took it seriously. Pantyhose have always been for women, comedians, drag queens and transvestites, until now.

According to a report in the New York Daily News, men have been wearing mantyhose for years in Europe, and now the hose are becoming a fashion statement for men in America, as well

There is even a website that exclusively sells mantyhose. Luxelegwear.com sells 13 different kinds of hose.  Men who might be feeling conflicted about wearing the hose can go to e-MANcipate.net and read up on how to accept yourself and other men who want to wear them. This site also instructs how to wear them..over or under your boxers.

I guess you can ask your girlfriend, your mom or your sister, or best lesbian girlfriend about them. I don’t  know any woman who really likes pantyhose. They itch, they snag too easily.  Nothing worse than a runner in a brand new pair of hose. They are just a pain in the ass. Everyday that I don’t have to put them on, is a blessing.

But guys, you go ahead. Knock yourself out. Wear them for awhile. See if you like it. You might like it. But I doubt it. 

Knee highs or a garter belt and hose are better, more comfortable. Try those. You might like it But you just might want to give your date a heads up before you drop your pants.

Invites in the Mail

Did you get one?

Palin Raps

 "I think they would have loved me as a candidate ... we would have seen an absolutely different and a ... much prettier profile of Sarah Palin and the Palin family and my administration." -Sarah Palin

That quote from the Alaskan Governor, speculating about how the media would have treated her if she had been Barack Obama’s running mate instead of John McCain’s.  With all due respect, Governor Palin is obviously suffering from frostbite between the ears.

To quote her former running mate, “you can’t make silk out of a sow’s ear.” In other words, a pig in a poke, is still a pig.  Want another one....you can take the girl out of Alaska (trailer park), but you can’t take Alaska (trailer park) out of the girl....

If Barack had chosen Sarah instead of Joe, Blago wouldn’t have been able to sell the senate seat on ebay because O’s butt would still be in it. There is no way in hell, that America...pre racial America, would have elected a Black man with a running mate who is a white woman with five kids, whose names rhyme like Chinese acrobats, and one of whom was pregnant and not married.  That is just way too much “real” America, for anyone to handle.

Barack has a life partner who is probably smarter than he is, and he gets grief for having her by his side. A white woman with five kids, c’mon, now. I can’t believe she put her lips together to even say that. Well, yes I can, considering some of the other stuff that came out of her mouth during the campaign. 

And how do you “pretty up” the controversies of her witch doctor and troopergate, to name two? She brought those to the ticket.  Better yet, how do you get Barack to sign off on 150,000 dollars in new clothes for your family?  His kids go to school. Does Palin think that Obama would give her kids a pass on education?  I doubt it.  

These Palin observations are coming to light by way of an interview done by a conservative journalist named John Ziegler, who is putting together a documentary about how Obama got elected. Had nothing to do with the American people voting, apparently. You can check  out the raw video here.

Palin is on a tirade, blaming the media, blaming the McCain organization, blaming Katie Couric among others for her failure in the national political arena. She even slams Caroline Kennedy, claiming Kennedy will get a pass because the media likes her better than Palin. 

Palin keeps saying she wants us bloggers, journalists and writers to leave her alone. Well, all she has to do to get that to happen, is to shut up, and go back to being governor of Alaska. When she did that, nobody knew who she was. 

Judging from the venom that she’s been spouting, I’m absolutely sure she will hold that grudge until 2012. I’m also sure she will come out swinging, when she does choose to run again.

State of the Union From the President Elect

While Dubya Packs up to move....

The president elect preempted the ladies of The View this morning, to deliver a sort of state of the union address. He is still a few days away from his swearing in, but as the man said, these are extraordinary times that need extraordinary measures. 

Obama was still way short on specifics, for my tastes,  about how he intends to jump start the economy or of how he intends to pay for it. He emphasized over and over that time is of the essence...that there is a need for Congress to kill the drama, put aside the stupid stuff and to act quickly to save the country from itself. 

He came across like Evilene in The Wiz, when sista girl stood up and told her people, “don’t nobody bring me no bad news.”  Obama told Congress that “now” is not the time for all those pork barrel pet projects, like bridges to nowhere, or playgrounds in your daughter’s backyard for your grandkids. 

It also sounded like a polite warning to so called special interests groups to back off a bit and to be patient. The greater good is more important, at this point in time. 

Obama said that the only way to pull out of this mess was to pull together and work it out. He said the bailouts were necessary evils that have to be done, but they will now become last resort and come with strings attached. Strings that will benefit the taxpayer.

By the by...this is the day that Dick Cheney gets to count the electoral votes officially making Obama the winner of the presidential election, back on November 4th. Bet he’s real thrilled to do that. Obama wins by a two to one margin. But cha already knew that. 

Let the celebration begin!

2009, Year of the Ox

I don’t make resolutions, but one of the things that I do is to check out my horoscopes to see what the stars have lined up for me this year. I am a leo, born in the year of the tiger, for all you Chinese horoscopes afficionados.

This year coming,  is the year of the Ox, from January 26, 2009 until February 13, 2010.  This is also the year of three Friday the 13ths, two of them are back to back, in February and March. The third one is in November. 

Since my grandmother was also leo, and she faithfully read her horoscope, daily, I knew that I was a leo, almost before I knew my name. I didn’t learn about the Chinese horoscope until much later in life. 

I’m not triskaidekaphobic, but my mom tells me I was due to be born on the 13th, which was on a Friday in my birth year and month. However, I came two days later, so I’m not a jinxed at birth child.  Actually, truth be told, I’m a pretty lucky person, well blessed, in today’s parlance. 

According to star gazers, this year is going to be a power year for almost all of us. It’s not going to be an easy year, and if you’re like me, success is scheduled to come later in the year as opposed to early or right now. I guess what it’s telling me, is that I need patience in the beginning of 2009. 

Some of you may be wondering about your oriental stars, well, the story goes like this... It is said that Buddha invited all of the animals in the world to join him for the New Year celebrations, but only 12 animals showed up. The  Buddha rewarded the twelve with a year named after each one of them The order was set by the way they arrived at the party. The first to arrive was the rat, the last to come was the pig.

It is thought that those born during the  year of a particular animal, inherit some of the good and bad personality traits of that particular animal. Also, each year is influenced by whatever animal in which it falls. Strength,  commitment and duty will be the keywords for 2009. Creatively and artistically, the Year of the Ox could see influential and  new works and creations being announced. Environmental and green issues should  also dominate the world stage with countries establishing tighter controls and regulations.

For those of you who want to find out more about your Chinese influences, check out Moonslipper.com.  

Monday Morning Meanderings

Blagojevich/Burris

Like it or not....and I don’t...Roland Burris was legally selected to replace Barack Obama as Senator. Blago is still the sitting Governor of Illinois. Until he is stripped of his powers, he has every right to appoint whoever...
However....I think Roland Burris is an idiot for allowing himself to be used like this. Bobby Rush has simply lost his mind....This fight is more than about whether one black man should replace another black man in the Senate.

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Ann Coulter

Has reared her peroxided head again...must be book publishing time....Ya’ll need to stop calling her a drag queen, because that is an ugly insult to real drag queens...Some of the most beautiful people I know are drag queens....She is simply not pretty enough to even be considered for that auspicious designation.

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Black Women Shrinking

Ran across an article last week says, black women are getting smaller. Not in my neighborhood. But you can read it here.

Another article says women in general are happiest when they wear a size 14 dress. Really?
Check it out.

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Automatic Raise number 999

As Obama ponders giving us poor people some monetary relief, Congress gave itself a $4700.00 pay raise. They made it automatic several years ago, so that if by some chance they want NOT to take a raise, a new law has to be passed. Think of all the money saved if Congress forgoes its annual dip into the honeypot. I think their raise should be performance based, too....I want to sit on that board...

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Muslims, the New Negroes

I hope that family put off the plane by AirTran, sues the hell out of the company. Still think we live in a post racial world, now that Obama is in Washington?

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Gaza

Still fighting. I thought Bush promised us a cease-fire in that part of the world before he leaves office.

And why is Condi so happy these days...girl has been cheezin’ in every picture lately. Maybe she did vote for Obama. I don’t believe it for a minute. She’s still standing behind her guy.

Leis, Streicher Fearmongering Tactics

Say crime will go up in Cincinnati in 2009

You knew it was coming. As soon as voters refused to allocate new tax monies for a bigger jail, that Simon Leis and his boys would start the fearmongering about increased crime on the streets of Cincinnati. And of course, the only "newspaper" in town would back them up. You can read the it here.

Now, the FBI and the Ohio Department of Safety show that crime is down for the past several years. You can check out the stats here.

In fact, the only increase that I can find is in burglaries. All other crimes have been dropping since 2000. Yet, Sheriff Leis, Police Chief, Tom Streicher and Common Pleas Judge Nick Nadel are telling us to brace for an onslaught of criminal violence in coming years, because criminals are being released back onto the streets. Never mind that most of the time the arrests made by Leis and company are for misdemeanor drugs, traffic violations or prostitution in Over the Rhine. And those not fueled by drugs, are fueled by alcohol. Officials admit that those being released are nonviolent offenders. Some of the alleged bad guys with repeat raps are being turned loose with ankle monitors and placed on house arrest.

Since they can no longer lock people up for useless reasons, maybe now is the time to explore other means of fighting crime. Maybe it’s time to stop assuming that all black guys and inner city youth are potential criminals who need to be constantly watched, harassed and locked up when they jay walk or spit on a sidewalk. Just from watching the news you can tell that most of these high speed chases are guys running from a bunch of misdemeanor warrants, rather than a violent or felony crime, in the first place. Somebody has more than two warrants on anything, boot their cars, impound their cars, til they show up in court or leave Ohio. Take their cars and auction them off to make money for the county.

How about some programs designed to get guns off the streets and out of the neighborhoods. How about other means like treatment for alcohol and drug abusers. Or if you want to save some money, take the cops out of the cruisers, park the cars and walk the neighborhoods, or put more bikes on the street, or maybe scooters. Cops walking a regular beat will clear the streets, very quickly. The guys won’t hang on the corners if the cops are hanging there with them, or regularly walking by. How about getting rid of those "white hat" uniforms, in favor of something a little more street, that doesn't shout "cop" at first sighting, or from ten blocks away.

Do more enforcement in the suburbs. I’ve said this before, those who buy drugs from inner city kids don’t live in the neighborhood. If you’re going to throw the book at somebody, how about throwing it at the kid in his parent’s range rover, who drove into Avondale from West Chester to score some weed. Or how about prostitution. Leave the girls and boys who peddle their behinds, selling BJs for 10- bucks, alone. Get them into treatment. Take out the johns who are buying. They don’t live in Over the Rhine either. Make a big deal out of their arrests. Give the Enquirer something to do. Let it print the mugshots of the busted johns on the front page.

Better yet, let's legalize prostitution and tax the hell out it.

How about giving those nonviolent, albeit undisciplined youth a choice, jail or the army, with a minimum of three years. The army needs people and last year it lowered requirements to accept felons. Still won’t take gays, but it will take a lawbreaker. So accommodate America, send those who want to act up in society or not go to school, to the armed forces. If it’s a first offense, they get to choose. If they get busted again, then they go to Afghanistan, period. That gets them off the streets. No new jail needed.

Scare tactics like Leis announcing that deputies are being pulled from metal detector duty at the courthouse are ludicrous. Building more jails has never worked. Police officials and Judges unwilling to evolve past lock em up and throw away the key, need to retire effective immediately.