Conformity

By definition, conformity means "action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices."  In accord.  Used in harmony, then of social standards.  What possibly could be in conformity?  Well, the Pope thinks that pedophilia is "fully in conformity with men and even with children."  TheNewCivilrightsMovement.com

Pope Benedict XVI also claimed that child pornography was increasingly considered “normal” by society.  Considered normal.  That might explain why there is a prevalence of priests who abuse children.  (A total of 10,667 individuals made allegations of child sexual abuse by priests. Philvaz.com)  Their devine leader thinks that pedophilia and pornography is okie dokie.


This is the same Pope who thinks that same-sex marriage is going to weaken the principles of natural law and will make mankind an endangered species.  But, sexually assaulting children ain't going to do anything to natural law or mankind.


Hmmm, shall we conform to the Catholic Church?

The Royal Treatment

Again, it is a slow news cycle.  Not much going on this week between the two holidays.  But this just in!  How crazy are these young Royals?  Prince Charles has 149 "attendants", but his son and future daughter-in-law have opted out of having servants.


How could that be?  Doesn't every princess want to be waited on hand and foot?  Especially a commoner who is moving into the Royal circle.  A senior royal source says "They want to do their duty and make sure they are a real asset to the country but they are private individuals who want to get on with their lives."


Having servants would be a real asset to the country?  I guess hiring the locals to clean the loo would be an asset.  Bad Royals.

But is it News??

So yeah, it is the week between Christmas and New Year, so perhaps we shouldn't expect to have any real breaking news.  But, the headline writers maybe should have found other things to write about.


First off, it seems "Obama Has Achieved Cigarette-Smoking Milestone."  That is some important political news there.  "I can report that it's been probably about 9 months since he last smoked a cigarette," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.  So the free world is so much safer now.  HuffingtonPost.com

Then there was this story: "Obamas make rare trip to church."  Yep, the family went to church on the Sunday after Christmas.  This should definitely substantiate the case that the President is indeed a Christian, and again the free world is safer.  Google.com

Makes one wonder if Sarah Palin will chime in on these revelations.  Doing such healthy things like quitting smoking and going to church would be along the lines of things that Sarah doesn't agree with.  Well, as long as the Obama's are doing them.  " Michelle Obama's initiative to improve children's health by encouraging better diets and sufficient exercise is mocked by Sarah Palin as just another intrusion by government into the daily lives of our citizens."  HuffingtonPost.com

Can't wait to read what she will say in 140 characters or less on smoking and church...

On the Eve of the Eve

There are so many things that could be written about today.  Oprah believes in the intelligence of the American Public.  HuffingtonPost.com  Reality TV might be taking over scripted dramas. CNN.com or any other number of odd stories today.  But for this daily blog, I just have one thing to say!  Thanks for reading.

Teach Your Children Well

Or not.  The AP reports today "23 percent of recent high school graduates don't get the minimum score needed on the enlistment test to join any branch of the military."  That means that the education system is turning out people who can't "answer basic math, science and reading questions."


And their social studies skills are in danger too.  "A far-right faction of the Texas State Board of Education succeeded Friday in injecting conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics lessons that will be taught to millions of students for the next decade."  HuffingtonPost.com

And what type of "conservative ideals" are they injecting?  Well, taking Thomas Jefferson OUT of the world history standards; No church-state separation; describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic"; won't require that “students learn that the Constitution prevents the U.S. government from promoting one religion over all others”;  'the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s - but not anything about liberals.


There are a few more, like no hip hop, so sex/gender differentiation, and no Edward Kennedy.  Yet some Democrats were able to keep out the part that said the civil rights movement led to "unrealistic expectations for equal outcomes."

Sad part about this is that since Texas is the biggest, the standards that the school board adopts gets printed in all the text books throughout the states.  So, teach your children the good ol' Texas way.  Not the right way.

Amazing what you can learn on TV

Last week, the Daily KC reported on a University of Maryland study that proved that Faux News viewers were the most uninformed.  The demographics for Faux News is primarily Republican, since Faux News is spewing the GOP platforms as "news".  There were some blatant, out-and-out lies that Faux News was "reporting" to the viewers.


In light of poll results released today, one would wonder if Faux News has ever reported on Creationism vs. Evolution.  Well, obviously they have.  A quick Google search of "fox news creationism" returned "About 203,000 results (0.26 seconds)".  So that might explain the poll results.


"A new Gallup poll, released Dec. 17, reveals that 40 percent of Americans still believe that humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years."  And of those who responded, 52% of the Republicans believe in creationism.  HuffingtonPost.com

The Wikipedia entry on "Creation–evolution controversy" states that "Within the scientific community and academia the level of support for evolution is essentially universal."  Wikipedia.org 

Hmmm, maybe that 52% hasn't evolved much?

How does that make you feel?

CNN Breaking News:  President Obama signs $858 billion measure that extends tax cuts for two years.  It probably makes the wealthiest Americans feel very, very happy.  Folks like Bill Gates, who is Forbes number one billionaire with $54B, are gushing with excitement.

But maybe Bill and the others won't show too much emotion.  A study in Psychological Science finds "affluent people -- in terms of income, social status and education -- have trouble detecting others' emotions."  The co-author Michael Kraus says, "They show a deficit in empathic accuracy."  So, they may not be dancing in the streets. HuffingtonPost.com

One would think that perhaps Forbes #97, George Lucas at $3.25B, would be able to show emotions.  Come on, he invented Yoda.  Now the rest of America, not able to make it to Forbes list, will show emotions -- but probably not happy ones.  "U.S. income inequality will exceed the records set in the months preceding the crash of 1929 and the financial crisis of 2007." 
DailyFinance


Guessing that the Politicians who caused this should be happy too.  Wait, they are affluent people, too.  Nevermind

Not sure if it is all that accurate

FoxNews.com put out poll results today that says only 29% think President Obama would win re-election, while 64% said they expected him to lose.  That is not too suprising.  These would be FAUX News viewers.  FAUX News likes to slant the news to meet their objectives (read - email instructing news staff to avoid the term "public option," and call it "government-run health insurance" or something about climate control).


So, it is not surprising that after displaying their Republican bias, FAUX News would be able to sway their viewers to believe that Obama has no chance.  Now, a NBC/WSJ poll found that 42% to 39% think Obama would beat a generic Republican candidate.  PoliticalWire.com


Is Huckabee generic enough?  What does he look like in a black and white plastic bag?

Out of (Parental) Control

A completely ridiculous story today from NPR.org:  "Consumer Group Sues McDonald's Over Happy Meal Toys."  Yep, that's right.  "The Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a lawsuit today against McDonald's in state court in California to stop the company from advertising toys with Happy Meals."  NPR.org

"Marketing to kids is an end-run around parental control," says Stephen Gardner, CSPI's director of litigation.  But wait?? What about that "parental control"?  How many children under the age of 8 are actually able to buy a Happy Meal?  Plaintiff Monet Parham, a 41-year-old mother of two from Sacramento, is just "fed up with the pestering".  So it is really worth all the time and money spent on a lawsuit so that this mom just doesn't have to say no?


Ms. Parham has other options.  Don't let the kids watch television, and definitely don't hit the drive thru.

It Really is Faux-ed Up

It is amazing that 2,024,000 people watched Fox News on Friday December 10, 2010.  42% of those viewers were ages 35-64 and 23% were 25-54. (TVByTheNumbers.com)  All of these viewers are over 18, which makes them eligible to vote.  But, sadly, if they are watching Faux News, they are being lied to about what is going on in the world.


The DailyKos.com reports today "World Public Opinion, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, conducted a survey of American voters that shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources."  That's right, Faux News makes you stupid. (DailyKos.com) 

So, although Faux News tells us that the stimulus lost jobs or health reform will increase the deficit or Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout and wasn't born in the US, it just ain't so.  Faux News is "deliberately misinforming their viewers" because of the Republican Party's vested interest in these topics.


Fair and Balanced?  Nope... Dumb and Dumber

But why cry about it?

On Barbara Walter's show, Oprah started crying.  "I'm not a lesbian. I'm not even kind of a lesbian," she said.  Ok, she and Gayle are just really good friends.

But, being a lesbian is nothing to cry over.  Or not being one.  Or maybe just being accused of being one.

UPDATE:  Ok, Oprah wasn't crying over spilt lesbianism.  She was crying about not having told Gayle this:  "She is the mother I never had. She is the sister everybody would want. She is the friend that everybody deserves, I don't know a better person."  Now Gayle should know. (HuffingtonPost.com)

It's funnier before you know that, though... But when Walters asked her "But do you think that Sarah Palin is qualified to be president?"  Oprah just said she was "not going to answer that question."  That is sort of an answer

Hunting Reality

For entertainment purposes, Sarah Palin shot, killed and dressed a moose.  She predicted that people wouldn't like it too much:

"Unless you've never worn leather shoes, sat upon a leather chair or eaten meat, save your condemnation."  Sarah Palin on Facebook


But some didn't save the condemnation.


"I can't make a distinction between what you get paid to do and what Michael Vick went to prison for doing." Aaron Sorkin
HuffingtonPost.com

JeffDanziger

Basically, Sarah is running the longest political ad in history on TLC.  Wonder who she will shoot and kill next?

An interesting stocking stuffer?

What do you get for the girl who has everything this holiday season?  This might just be the thing.  It sort of falls in line with the "Ugly Christmas Sweater" thing, though.

It seems that some old "Baron" who lived in Miami, passed on recently, and in his estate they found that he owned a pair of Queen Elizabeth's underwear.  Yep, that's right, QE left her drawers on some airplane back in 1968 and the Baron got them.  And now they are for sale.
CelebrityObsession365.blogspot.com

And what would one hope to spend on the Queens unmentionables?  The estate is "hoping to get around $9,000." 

You can get ugly shorts at Target for a heck of a lot less.

Embracing

So Bristol Palin thinks that if Margaret Cho just understood the things that the Palins believe in she "would embrace us faster than KD Lang at an Indigo Girls concert."  Well, at least that's what she typed on her Facebook page in response to Cho's assessment that Sarah "harshly and openly" blames Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston for losing the 2008 election and made Bristol join dancing with the stars.
HollywoodGossip.com

But maybe not everybody would embrace the Palins if they just understood better.  Kate Gosselin obviously doesn't embrace the Mama Grizzly.  The two TLC "reality stars" were supposed to get together for a camping trip in Alaska.  This could have brought the "plus 8" mom back into the fame she once had before dropping Jon.  But, she doesn't get the camping in Alaska concept.


"It just kills me that people, like, willingly do this."  She tells the camera.  "I don't see a table, I don't see utensils, I don't see hand-cleansing materials," she whimpers.  Bummer.  So there was no camping. She gathered up her children and, mere hours after their arrival, they have eaten and run.  As Sarah points out "We had lunch with them on a sand bar."
HuffingtonPost.com

Wonder if Kate will embrace KD Lang at an Indigo Girls concert then?

Road Rage?

It could be either some road rage (taken on by the road) or it could be the road's feeling about snowy weather.  A “Don’t Walk” signal at a crosswalk in Spokane, Wash., sent a most impolite message to pedestrians on Wednesday. (FoxNews.com)

Spokeswoman Marlene Feist said "snow was embedded in the electric sign."  And the snow had creatively blocked two fingers on the left and one on the right -- leaving the middle digit proudly standing alone.

Not sure that I believe that this was entirely an unintended accident.  Snow embedded in sign probably would have made a fist...

Here's to you traffic!  Or F You SNOW!

Can They See Me at My House?

Ok, granted Sarah Palin never actually said that.  It was her doppleganger, Tina Fey who was spoofing her comment "They're our next-door neighbours and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."  So, can the Russians see her?  Well, they obviously have formed an opinion about her.


JoeMyGod.Blogspot.com reports today "Russia's Pravda newspaper is blasting Sarah Palin as an unpatriotic traitor."  They accuse of her unpatriotism because of what she has said about the President of the United States.  "She accuses President Obama of not taking 'steps' to assure the (WIkiLeaks) leaks were not published."  Pravda then asks where she and "her GOP" were before and during the 9/11 attacks.


Such eloquent writing by the newspaper, too.  "Spankin' Sarah Palin comes across as a pitifully inadequate anachronism from the times of the Far West."  Pravda also describes Palin as "a clown short of a circus" with the tact of a "boorish drunkard bawling obscenities at a funeral."


Ahh... and where does one get a subscription?

FOOD FIGHT!!

That is the hot topic today.  It is all about food.  The only thing that the Senate can agree on is food.  In an article at AboutLawsuits.com, the passing of a new food safety bill is praised as "Sweeping" and "Bipartisan".  So, the thought of "MORE GOVERNMENT" to regulate and require more inspections so that kids in the midwest don't get poisoned by salmonella laced eggs, is just fine with this group.  They can't agree on anything else, but at least they can agree on no more e coli.


But there may be another battle along the food lines coming up.  Last week before Thanksgiving, as you  may recall, Sarah Palin was very upset with Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" program to get kids to eat better and be more active.  Sarah thinks (and that term is used lightly) the government needs to quit trying to control everything and let parents exercise their "God-given rights" to make their own decisions for their families. (AssociatedContent.com)  So it is not the government's place to save the kids this time.  Let the parents raise obese children if they want to.


Wonder what Ms. Palin would think if the government wanted to regulate another group of people's diets?  "The U.S. Army plans to get new recruits into better shape with a revamped approach to health, fitness and diet at basic training." (HuffingtonPost.com)  Imagine that.  The government wants to replace soda fountains with milk and juice dispensers and white bread and pasta will be replaced by whole grains.


Come on, Sarah!  Go fight a war with the Army!  It is a Private's "God-given right" to eat whatever the hell they want to!  You go get 'em, Palin. 


Where is a good, old fashioned - fling the gravy - type of food fight, when you need one?

In a Tank or a Jet Fighter

Basically, it is okay to be gay in either of those.  Or any other military conveyance.  The "long awaited" Pentagon report on how those in the military think about gays in the military was released today.  And it "indicates that over two-thirds of service members do not object to gays and lesbians serving openly in the U.S. armed forces." (CNN.com)


The report also pointed out "more than nine out of 10 troops said their unit's ability to work with someone they thought was gay or lesbian was very good, good, or neither good nor bad."  But, that doesn't necessarily mean that 'don't ask, don't tell' will be repealed this year.  There are only a few weeks left for this Congress to vote on it, and with all this other stuff going on, they might not get to it.


So, you can be gay in a Tank or a Jet Fighter.  But, you might not be able to be gay in a Pirate Ship or Dumbo ride at Disney world...  Johnny Depp told Vanity Fair that Disney "couldn't stand" his Pirates of the Caribbean character Jack Sparrow and one person there even asked if Sparrow was gay.  Although, Depp replied "all my characters are gay," that makes Disney executives nervous. 


Oh, well me Maties... don't ask, don't tell when you're hunting for the dead man's chest.

So Very True

The Simpsons took on Faux News - again!  It's funny because it's true

Faux News - Flying over the Cuckoo's Nest

Whether it is Glenn Beck and his chalkboard (too many examples to cite), or Bill O'Reilly taking on "cartoons" (he didn't like their spoof "Not Racist, But # 1 With Racists") or that what is Sarah Palin (again too many to cite), Faux News is a crazy place.  And today, they have another, perfect example of the crazy.


Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team.  He wrote the headline on FoxNews.com today:  "TSA Scans -- All Part of Obama's Plan."  The doctor speaks of the Obama Administration's "contempt for individual autonomy and callousness when it comes to balancing liberty and government authority."  He also says "The TSA and its procedures are Obama's biggest public education initiative" teaching our children that it is ok "to be humiliated by uniformed government security personnel."   FoxNews.com

What the doctor fails to mention, however, is that the TSA was not Obama's plan.  It was created by the 107th Congress on November 19, 2001.  Hmmm, and who was in charge of the government then?  And the TSA was were given mandates by that Congress: "responsibility for security for all modes of transportation; recruit, assess, hire, train, and deploy Security Officers for 450 commercial airports from Guam to Alaska in 12 months; and, provide 100 percent screening of all checked luggage for explosives."  TSA.Gov

Yes, it is a scary place we live in (and have to fly out of).  But, accusing Mr. Obama of taking away independence or freedom and thrusting government authority on the masses, is not fair or balanced.  Dr. Ablow tells us "I am not paranoid. Trust me; I'm a shrink."


Right, the inmates have overrun the asylum.

Should we all try failing?

Failure must have many different definitions.  Faux News ran a story where Mitt Romney says that President Obama and the Democrats "failed" America.  And they all want Mr. Obama out!


But in other areas - well, same area really, just different people - failure doesn't mean the end of somebody.  "A failure is [one] who has blundered, but is not able to cash in the experience."  ~Elbert Hubbard.  Just ask Sarah Palin, "With a showbiz-fueled net worth widely estimated in the double-digit millions" (NYTimes.com)  So it pays for her to have failed as a Vice Presidential candidate and governor.


And somebody is following in the Momma Grizzly's footsteps.  Christine O'Donnell is on tap to headline the Northern Virginia Tea Party's annual fundraiser next month, speaking at an event called "Celebrating Our Progress." (MaddowBlog.MSNBC.com)  Tea Party spokesperson Daniel Cortez says, "She's a role model for others."


So, a failed Senatorial candidate is still getting the spotlight, and seen as a role model.  Probably thinks that if she keeps this up she will get to be on Dancing With the Stars and the Tea Partiers can help her win, too.

Holiday Travel

Although I think they should charge more for the lap dances!

Copyright © 2010 Universal Press Syndicate

All Things Palin

Probably shouldn't be written about, but if they aren't 'exposed' now, then it leaves that scary thought of President Palin.  She has told the New York Times Magazine that she is thinking about a 2012 bid.  But she is a little worried about 'being under the bus' again.  Sadly she says "Other candidates haven't faced these criticisms the way I have," although perhaps she deserves some criticism.  (Global Language Monitor to name "refudiate" as one of the top words used in 2010.)


Her new book "America By Heart" (not written on her palm) is coming out soon and she tells the world how she loves Simon Cowell from American Idol.  She loves him because he tells the "self-esteem-enhanced but talent deprived performers" that they "in fact, can’t sing, regardless of what they have been told by others." (FrumForum.com)  Would Simon tell her that she can't, in fact run a country?


And then there should be some criticism of her lovely children.  First there is Bristol "winning" dancing with the stars, although she can't dance and there is a Tea Party conspiracy to get the audience vote “Operation Bristol waltzes in tonight! As #DWTS starts vote at abc.go.com Tweeps pls tweet phone info, will RT.” (HollywoodReporter.com)


Then there is her other daughter.  "Willow Palin, 16, told a Facebook friend that he was 'so gay' and used the homophobic insult (the 'f-word') after he criticised former Alaska governor Mrs. Palin’s reality TV show." (PinkNews.co.uk)  She then goes on to type “Sorry that you guys are all jealous of my families success and you guys aren’t goin to go anywhere with your lives.”  The future of America, behind the Mamma Grizzly... how many "families" does she have?


Very scary prospect that this could be the new "First Family" of the U.S.  And sorry about the kittens.

Offense Taken

This story is offensive on SO many levels.  First let's start with the background.  Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, who is the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, was honored today at the White House.  "His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American paratrooper from enemy hands." (Time.com)


The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. And is awarded to those who distinguish themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States." (Wikipedia.org)


No where in that definition does it say that they have to kill somebody.  They have to risk their own life.  But somebody thinks that the Medal of Honor is too "girly" because it is awarded to Sgt. Giunta and he didn't even kill anybody.  And what is so funny about that statement (and not in the ha-ha that's funny sense of the word), is who actually said it, American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer. (JoeMyGod.blogspot.com)


Now, the American Family Association is a non-profit 501(c3) organization, a Christian ministry, that "spurs activism in Preservation of Marriage and the Family, Decency and Morality, Sanctity of Human Life, Stewardship, Media Integrity." (AFA.net)  Somehow, Bryan Fischer missed that one about "sanctity of human life." 


And what about that "girly" comment?  That sounds very misogynistic.  How is it possible that a "loving, Christian organization" (read the finger quotes) can insult two groups of people and promote a murderous attitude in one sentence?


Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9 


But it is so much better to just shoot and kill somebody, right Bryan?

Getting Smarter in Louisiana

There is a rich diversity of people in Louisiana, according to the state's website, Louisiana.gov.  And now, those people will be smarter.  It all starts with new high school textbooks with real science in them, instead of 'pseudoscience'.  The Associated Press reports that "A state panel recommended Friday that Louisiana's top education board adopt a new batch of high school biology textbooks."


Why is that newsworthy?  Well, because some people objected to the books because the books "should include information about intelligent design and don't offer enough questioning about certain parts of evolutionary theory."  So, intelligent design, which the dean of the LSU College of science says is "simply not science" needs to be taught to high school students, according to these people.


So, yes there is a God.  And it seems officials in Louisiana might be listening to experts and not the Religious Right fanatics.  Amen.

Writing Memoirs For Dummies

Obviously there should be such a book.  It may have helped a certain former President with some "Decision Points".  George W. is making rounds trying to sell the tome.  Jon Stewart had a few laughs at his expense, pointing out that there are some definite contradictions that Mr. Bush has made on the talk show circuit.


Some of them were small.  Like telling most of the talk show hosts that he had never compromised his principles, and then telling Matt Lauer that he indeed compromised the principle of capitalism.  Then he talked about how he bent the rules on water-boarding and had to follow the rules on Katrina and couldn't send in troops.  Stewart skewered him on these points.


But, now for the need for a "dummies" help book.  Mr. Bush hadn't really done all of the writing of his very own memoir.  It seems that he lifted "quotes word for word from other peoples' books, passing them off as his own recollections." (HuffingtonPost.com)  People like General Tommy Franks, the BBC and Time Magazine.


He even put in some flat out lies.  He wrote a passage about a poignant meeting between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a Tajik warlord on Karzai's Inauguration Day.  The funny thing is... Bush never attended the inauguration.


Maybe he should have just stuck with "See Spot Run."

Unsportsman Like Conduct for 15

During the month of October, the NFL commemorated Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its largest on-field presence.  They did everything from game balls with pink ribbon decals used for every down, players wearing pink cleats, wristbands, gloves, chin straps, sideline caps, helmet decals, eye shield decals, captains' patches, sideline towels and quarterback towels and pink coins used for the coin toss.  It was quite the display of support.  Everybody applauded the effort.


Too bad the applause couldn't be carried on for one High Schooler's attempt to show some support.  Mendenhall, Mississippi High School football coach Chris Peterson kicked 17-year-old placekicker Coy Sheppard off the team for attempting to wear pink cleats.  The player was also ridiculed for his choice of footwear (Yahoo.com).  The cleats were a gift from Sheppard's 82 year old grandmother, a breast cancer survivor.


The coach claims that he wasn't kicked off for the pink, but for failing to follow his coaches' instructions.  If the instructions were do not wear girly, pink cleats, then the coach is right. The kicker has filed suit to clear his name and to be able to graduate on time.


Sounds a lot like homophobia.  Probably worth more than 15 yards.

Where is the Outrage?

All through the elections, the Tea Baggers were screaming about "less government and more freedom."  At least according to Jim DeMint, Republican senator from South Carolina (WSJ.com).  But there is little noise about that now, two weeks after the elections.  Where is the outrage?  Where are the rallies to get the government out of our daily lives?


The government is still in.  Lawmakers in Northern California want to regulate Happy Meals, for goodness sake.  A San Francisco law would limit toy giveaways in children's meals that have excessive calories, sodium and fat. It also requires servings of fruits or vegetables with each meal (HuffingtonPost.com).  So, where are the Tea Baggers for the rights of the children to get Nuggets and Megamind toys?


And another case is this law passed in June 2009 giving the FDA authority to regulate tobacco, including marketing and labeling guidelines, banning certain products and limiting nicotine. Now, the FDA wants to scare the bajeebus out of smokers.  The FDA is proposing 36 labels for public comment, which include phrases like "smoking can kill you" and "cigarettes cause cancer," but also feature graphic images to convey the dangers of tobacco use.


Come On Tea Bagger society!  Get your posters out!  Go hold a rally in D.C.! 


Wait, maybe nuggets and smokes aren't worth it.

How to Make It on DWTS, and Influence People?

As most everybody knows, DWTS - Dancing with the Stars - is a reality show airing on ABC in the United States, and CTV in Canada (WikiPedia.com).  And of course there are big "STARS" on the show.  In the Spring of this year, the top three "dancers" were Nicole Scherzinger, Evan Lysacek and Erin Andrews (??? Who are these "stars"?)


The current season has another notable "star".  She has a lot of 'courage, grace and diversity', according to her mom.  And she proffers such great life lessons.  No, not the kind about not getting pregnant at 16, but more along the lines of "They're going to criticize anyway, so I might as well DANCE!" (@SarahPalinUSA - Twitter account).


So, yeah, Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol is on the show.  And what better thing for the Rogue Tea Bagger could there be?  Having the Palin name once again all over TV is perfect set-up for a political career.  And just think if Bristol - the dancer - won?


But, perhaps this is just another scam being run by the "housewife" from Alaska.  Although the dancing Diva "received the judges’ worst score" last week, she was not kicked off the show (Bloomberg.com)  And why?  Well, because the #TeaParty Twitter Brigade is conducting a "Get Out The Vote" campaign (JoeMyGod.Blogspot.com).  If the Tea Baggers can win the House, then little Bristol should be able to win DWTS.


So, Sarah's influence goes on.  Scary.  But why didn't she and Todd just stuff the DWTS ballot box themselves?  "The maximum number of votes per voter per medium is equal to the number of couples performing that night, or five votes, whichever is larger."  That would only be 30 votes between the two of them. 


So, let the tweeting - and the voting - begin, Tea Baggers.  Another triumph for liberty!

Social Media Sobriety Test

This is probably a good idea.  For all of those people who sit at home alone on a Friday night, partaking of a little of the fire water, and decide to tell the whole world that they got dumped by some bitch, or their ex is really an ass, or whatever else might be bothering them.


But help is just a download away:  "Social Media Sobriety Test" a free Firefox plug-in from online-security company Webroot. (CNN.com)  "[T]he plug-in will ask you to pass a simple test before being able log on" during hours of the day that you decide might be susceptible to drunkeness and make it hard for you to be nice on Facebook or Twitter.  Because, according to the website "Nothing good happens online after 1am." Just 3 steps will help you be a sober tweeter or a responsible FB friend.  Download/Customize, pass a test, post away (or if you fail, maybe just go to bed.) 

So, maybe, before you type something like this into your status bar "I'm drunk, ate 4 bags of doritos and a box of pizza pops. Who wants to webcam?" you should download the test.

A Happy Halloween?

So, a kid wanted to go to a Halloween party dressed as Daphne, from the Scooby-Doo movie.  A cute little outfit with a pink shirt, purple sweater and a huge, brightly orange wig.  But there were some mothers who were not all that thrilled with this costume choice.  Mostly it was because the kid who was wearing it was a boy. (Advocate.com)


The kid's mother, who writes anonymously at the blog Nerdy Apple Bottom, said that some mothers were just shocked!  They told her she "should never have ‘allowed’ this" and if the boy was older, say in kindergarten she would "have had to put [her] foot down and ‘forbidden’ it."  How could she let him wear a "gay" costume?  And they went on to tell her "how mean children could be and how he would be ridiculed."


Although, it seemed the only ones who were mean and ridiculing were the parents, not the children.  The Daphne-wearing kid's mom though, did get in the last best line:  “If you think that me allowing my son to be a female character for Halloween is somehow going to ‘make’ him gay then you are an idiot. Firstly, what a ridiculous concept. Secondly, if my son is gay, OK. I will love him no less. Thirdly, I am not worried that your son will grow up to be an actual ninja so back off.”


Yeah, just back off!

What Should I Be When I Grow Up?

Poor Christine O'Donnell.  What will she be when she grows up?  Obviously, it ain't going to be a Senator.  Becuase of course it was just a "symptom of Republican cannibalism" with the likes of Karl Rove dining on her political career. Perhaps she could be a professional Wiccan.  Or maybe a professional virgin... 


But, wait.  She could follow in her Mamma Grizzly's paw prints and get a spot on Fox News.  "O'Donnell made Fox News her national media home during her campaign" and boasted that she had "Sean Hannity in [her] back pocket."  (HuffingtonPost.com)  Nope, nevermind.  The network told Mediaite it has "no plans to hire her."


Oh, well, poor Christine.  Maybe she should follow in the paw prints of a Grizzly Cub... Dancing With the Stars.

Nice Weather We Are Having

Yes, a blatant attempt to change the subject.  But, alas we are still subject to "mid-term elections".  And if you have seen any TV or read any paper or looked at any website, you know the GOP/TP has 239 seats in the House vs. 185 Democrats.  And the Dems have 51 Senate seats to the 46 GOP/TP ones.


But, there are other stories about this election.  Californians didn't want legalized marijuana, dude.  Denver residents voted down a plan to officially track space aliens. San Francisco outlaws the Happy Meal.  And a deceased California Democrat won re-election to the State Senate, 58% to 36%.  That says something about her challenger, doesn't it? (HuffingtonPost.com)


Oh, and this Sarah Palin candidate in Atlanta won something too:

J/K Read the story here

So, now back to the weather.

The Day of Reckoning

It has been a long mid-term election season.  It seems to have gone on forever.  And today is the last day.  After today there will be no more hateful ads on the TV or radio every 10 seconds.  News programs will have nothing to talk about.  FauxNews will not know what to do with itself.  Even Stewart and Colbert may not find anything to report on -- well, that might not be true, there is always something for them.


So, today - in an effort to stymie the withdrawal symptoms of the Decision 2010 ending - Time.com has "25 Crazy Moments from A Crazy Election Campaign". And oh what memories they bring back.  Sharron Angle (NV) running from the press to avoid having to say anything.  Krystal Ball (VA) with racy Facebook pictures.  And wonderful Sarah promoting her "Mamma Grizzlies."


But there are plenty more:

• There was Ohio Republican Rich Lott, who participated in reenactments as a Nazi soldier, saying his fascination was with the military history and not ideology of the Third Reich.

• New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, in an discussion with New York Post political columnist Fred Dicker.  Being the true NY city kinda guy, Paladino told Dicker "I'll take you out, buddy!"

• Then there is Ken Buck.  The Colorado Senate hopeful has said many crazy things, but it all started during the primary season when he was asked by an attendee why she should vote for him, Buck answered, "Because I do not wear high heels."  Is that a fashion statement?

• Jimmy McMillan, "the gloved and bearded maestro of The Rent Is Too Damn High Party" running for Governor of New York -- that crazy just speaks for itself.

• Alaska Republican Joe Miller's private security guards detained and handcuffed Alaska Dispatch reporter Tony Hopfinger at a campaign event in Anchorage.

• Dan Maes, the Republican candidate for governor in Colorado (no really, he is still running) who thought that Hickenlooper's bicycle-promotion in Denver would "threaten our personal freedoms," and put us "under a United Nations treaty."

• Then there is Christine O'Donnell, who could have taken a few spots all by herself in the Crazy Moments department.  There is no masturbating, why don't monkeys still evolve and of course, I am not a Witch... I am you.

Here are all 25

Now, we have 2 years until the next big election.  Would not be surprised if the number of crazy moments between now and then is far greater than 25.  GET OUT AND VOTE!

  

Writer's Block

Didn't know what to write about today, and was looking at the "Rally to Restore Sanity" pictures.... this one from BuzzFeed.com (Click for all) probably is the scariest.

Happy Halloween?

The Cure

Rachel Maddow asked Alaska Senate Candidate Joe Miller if homosexuality can be cured.  He responded “it’s a state issue.”  Oh, ok.  He also thinks that there should be a federal marriage ban, even though he thinks it's a state issue.


The ReligiousTolerance.org site offers information on "Changing sexual orientation via reparative or conversion therapy."  They believe that homosexuality can be cured, as well.  However, the Office of Science through the U.S. Department of Energy (OSTI.gov) published a paper that says "A genetic analysis of 40 pairs of homosexual brothers has uncovered a region on the X chromosome that appears to contain a gene or genes for homosexuality."


So, can you cure a genetic thing?  Well, when you type "Curing the Liberal Disease" in Google, the first site that pops up is actually CuringTheLiberalDisease.com.  Obviously, some right-wing, conservatives believe, not only can homosexuality be cured, but liberalism can be, too.


Not so fast. James H. Fowler, a professor of both medical genetics and political science at the University of California, San Diego conducted a study that shows there is a liberal gene.  "DRD4 is the first specific bit of human DNA that predisposes people to certain political views, the study's authors claim." (FoxNews.com)


So, sorry all you conservatives out there.  Can't cure us.  It's genetic.

Will the REAL Bullies Please Stand Up

According to the President of the United States "We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids."  So, along those lines, the U.S. Department of Education released a statement Tuesday, Oct. 26, that addresses bullying and discrimination in our nation's schools.


But not everybody feels that the schools need to be safe for all the kids.  Mission America's Linda Harvey: "Communities must not allow themselves to be manipulated into supporting pro-homosexual bullying prevention plans, and believers in Jesus Christ need to stand up against this corruption of youth." (JoeMyGod.Blogspot.com)


So it's ok to bully, in the name of Jesus Christ.  "[L]ocal parents and communities need to resist enforced political correctness." (ChristianNewswire.com) Or perhaps it is not really the Christians that are causing the bullying.  Family Research Council President Tony Perkins thinks that homosexuality is "abnormal," and kids know it, which leads them to despair.  So, that's why the kill themselves. (HuffingtonPost.com)


And Linda Harvey, president of Mission America, thinks "Traditional morality is not responsible for harassing speech. Are healthy nutrition programs or the First Lady's anti-obesity initiative responsible for slurs and insults to overweight students? Of course not."  (ChristianNewswire.com)

So, let's not manipulate anybody into not bullying, let's not enforce political correctness, let's just keep letting everybody know that it is "abnormal." 


Not sure if healthy nutrition programs are quite the same as harassing speech, though.

A Separation

The headline today on the HuffingtonPost.com:  GOP Senate Candidate From Colorado: 'I Disagree Strongly With The Concept Of Separation Of Church And State.'  And that would be Republican Candidate Ken Buck.  He also went on to say "we are not gonna have a religion that's sanctioned by the government, it doesn't mean that we need to have a separation between government and religion."


But maybe, there should be a separation for different reasons.  A DenverPost.com reports today that a nationwide survey by the Barna Group shows that "one in four Americans said they couldn't think of a single positive societal contribution made by Christians."  In the same survey, "twelve percent of those surveyed said churches were too involved in political matters."


Yet, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey says that 86% of Americans think the government is broken.  So, perhaps mixing the bad contributions to society with the broken-ness of the government is not the wisest thing to do.

Halloween Countdown

What will be the costume this year?  How can we scare the heck out of everybody? 

Should we try the "Death Panel Diva" costume?

Or maybe just the "War Room Warrior"

Then it could be just the old classic, "Witch"

Voting is Easy

It doesn't have to cost that much either.  Although The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is spending a total of $87.5 million for Democrats (WSJ.com) and the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Chamber of Commerce are somewhere around $55 million for Republicans (NYTimes.com), it is just as easy as following the flowchart. Huffington Post

Mean or Dumb?

Maureen Dowd, a writer for the NY Times had this to say:


"Republican Mean Girls, grown-up versions of those teenage tormentors who would steal your boyfriend, spray-paint your locker and, just for good measure, spread rumors that you were pregnant." (NYTimes.com)


And she wasn't referring to Lindsay Lohan or Rachel McAdams from the 2004 movie "Mean Girls".  She was talking about "Jan, Meg, Carly, Sharron, Linda, Michele, Queen Bee Sarah and sweet wannabe Christine."  The GOP Mean Girls.


Now, the Queen Bee just shrugged it off:  "[S]he probably hasn't met Jan Brewer or some of these other wonderful, pleasant, gracious, nice, hard-working mama grizzlies who are wanting to turn this country around." (CNN.com)


And just where exactly are they going to turn it?  Because if these are the women that the Queen Bee sees as the future of American, we are in trouble.  Take for example the sweet wannabe Christine O'Donnell.  She thinks that Creationism should be taught in public schools. Her opponent says the First Amendment calls for a separation of church and state and it should not be taught in public schools.


O'Donnell's response?  "You're telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?" (CNN.com)

Ahh, the future of America with Mama Grizzlies in charge.  You betcha!
 

Gaffes

As defined by Dictionary.com, a gaffe is a social blunder, especially a tactless remark.  In this mid-term election year there are many gaffes a minute.  Sharron Angle's meeting last week with Rancho High School's Hispanic kids had what one might call a gaffe.  As she was speaking to an entire room full of Hispanic teenagers -- entire room full of Hispanic teenagers -- she said "I don’t know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me. I don’t know that."  She also claims to be the "first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly."

In another gaffe-able moment, yesterday in a Meet the Press debate with Michael Bennet, Ken Buck misspoke. (Time.com)  When asked if he thought homosexuality was a choice, Mr. Buck said "I think that birth has an influence over it, like alcoholism and some other things, but I think that basically, you have a choice."  The American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association have both said that homosexuality is not a choice. (HRC.com)  And, the University of Granada does not think that alcoholism is a choice either, it is hereditary. (MedicalNewsToday.com)

Really were Angle and Buck drunk when they made their escpecially tactless remarks?  Maybe they are gay but look like Asians? 

It Ain't Misogyny

Phyllis Chesler has a story on FOXNews.com today about "Why Women Still Won't Vote for Women."  She shows, in three races, there is a big difference in the female vote between the men who are running and the women.  She says it is primarily because women "still expect women to behave in 'feminine' or maternal ways."  Or that it is perhaps that "woman do not like another woman getting more attention."
But maybe it isn't what Dr. Chesler thinks.  Maybe it is just that these women she points out are batsh*t crazy! 

Linda McMahon, a Republican in Connecticut, who is losing 27% of female votes to Richard Blumenthal, "put profits before people" as the CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise. 

Sharron Angle, losing 18% to Harry Reid in Nevada, thinks Sharia law (read: Muslim law) has taken over Dearborn, Michigan, and a town in Texas that doesn't exist.

And then there is Christine O'Donnell who is 33% down to Chris Coons in Deleware.  The list is endless - witchcraft, masturbation, "I am you."

What about GOP Gov. Jan Brewer's threat to "raise questions about whether her opponent, state Attorney General Terry Goddard, is gay," because of questions regarding the governor’s health.  (Politico.com)


Or Republican Senate candidate, Carly Fiorina, who said every speech should begin with a shot of tequila. (WashingtonPost.com)

Of course there is the "Mama Grizzly", although she isn't running, she might be the batsh*ttiest.


So this ain't hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women. This is run for your life, the looney bin has exploded.

Does This Make Rush a Muslim??

Or maybe, George too wasn't allowed to be President for some birther reason?  And perhaps Sarah is really not the patriot she claims to be?  Why all the questions?  Well FOXNews.com is reporting today that Rush Limbaugh, George W. Bush and Sarah Palin are all relatives of... Barack Obama! family-ties

Obama and Palin are 10th cousins. Obama and Limbaugh are 10th cousins, once removed.  Obama and Bush are 11th cousins.  Wow, blood is thicker than water.  So the family traits must run through them all.  Wait, no... those other three would be the black sheeps of the family.

Obama is also related to Dick Cheney, 8th cousins.  Obama was ok with that but he did say he didn't "want to be invited to the family hunting party."

We are Family...

A Closet is For Clothes

Today is National Coming Out Day.  It is a day that allows people to be who they are and to let everybody around them know it.  It all started Oct. 11, 1987, when half a million people participated in a March on Washington. (HRC.org)


It might seem odd that there has to be a day like this.  What other group of people gets a day that celebrates their lifestyles?  Well, there is Father's Day and Mother's Day.  Those days celebrate a lifestyle.  But then again, not too many Fathers and Mothers have to pretend they are something different.  Most of them can serve openly in the military, carrying pictures of the kids that made them Fathers and Mothers in their wallets.


Not too many of them are blatantly hated, either.  Childless people don't go around saying that fatherhood or motherhood is not an "equally valid and successful option" and that Fathers and Mothers should not be allowed to brainwash children into thinking that it is.  Or even hint that fatherhood or motherhood was dysfunctional.


Yet, NY Governor-Candidate Carl Paladino said all of that about homosexuals.  He also said that being gay is "not the example that we should be showing our children." (NYDailyNews.com)


So, when you have to defend who you are each and every day, endure hate speech and being told that you are dysfunctional, invalid and unsuccessful as a person, you need a day to celebrate.  You need to be able to say "I am who I am" and millions of other people should applaud you for it.