YOU BE THE JUDGE IS IT A BIRD . . .?




sure doesn't look like a pen, and its . . . a little "off" to be a thumb as claimed by Fox and comrades, too. Honor and integrity has been restored Hallelujah!

THE PRESIDENTS ONE FINGER SALUTE

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/bush-flips-press.mov

Yep, unbelievable though it may be, the uniter, the man who was going to bring honor and integrity back to government, whose favorite philosopher was JC Himself (no, I didn't mean Jimmy Carter), flipped "the bird" at reporters two days ago on national TV, while walking into the White House. For all the recent kudos the WH Press corps has been given for hammering away on the Treason TRove of Turd Blossom, you'd think that at least one person would report on this uncouth act by Mr. Piety. But no, you'll only find this stuff on liberal or progressive web-sites. Wake the heck up people, and smell the double standard at play.

"CARVED IN STONE IS A NAME I WILL REMEMBER*"

Its that day again, the one we never made a very big deal about around the old homestead. Seven kids and a wife and two jobs most the adult working life left little time for himself. Its the sound of the rage-humor nonsense syllables he used to replace swearing. For a time it was the smell of cheap cigars, an endless string of General motors cars, a seat in the rearward pew of the local Catholic Church, a rumpled raincoat, sometimes worn with the collar pulled up as if to say "gee, I hope nobody sees me here." It was that bulldog look on the face of an extraordinary gentle man. He was the best seat in the house guy who never wanted to go to the game live. He was the man who dared put a "Republicans for Kennedy" sticker on his car in the middle of a Goldwater-loving neighborhood. The same man who, because of his faith could not vote Democratic after Roe, but never preached a second about that to anyone. You had to pry that kind of stuff out of him. He was the Marine Sergeant who left home for Guam in 44, and got back to civilian life a few months into 1950, having no idea how fortunate he was to have separated 90 days before his unit became among the first sent to Korea, a trip that would end for most of them violently. He was the Latin teacher and football coach at a public high school of all things. He was a man who never laid a hand on any of his children in anger - at least that I ever saw. He was the man who often frustrated us for seeing unacceptable behavior within his family, but not condemning it. He was the man who was even handed about that approach to all of us. He was the man who would sometimes get down in a four point stance in front of the TV on Fall Saturdays, whose mood rose and fell with the fortunes of The Fighting Irish. It was the man who retired early, without any hobbies or diversions, after all of his kids had made it past adolescence. In life he was as his epitaph simply reads, "One of God's Noblemen." Mostly he was the man that I loved dearly, even if I so rarely ever told him so.

Happy Birthday Dad. I hope you know I loved you. Hope I'm doing as well as you did.

*from the song "Carved in Stone" from "The Subdudes

PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE PIG BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!!!!





Like a felon fleeing from the pursuing police in a corny cop show - Adam 12, or Police Story, or for the truly insipid T.J. Hooker or S.W.A.T., the Greedy Old Party slammed the trash can down behind it as it ran down the alley . . . and out rolled John Roberts!!!



Whitebread, upper crust, proper looking, well spoken and seemingly bland. Just the thing to get the media dogs off of swinish Karl - - except that the furor only took a short respite, a day at most, then the Rove stories and the implications for malfeasance by the Administration in punishing detractors returned to center stage. So come on t.v. crazed Americans, what does the fleeing felon do then. He fires back if he's got any bullets, or he throws down more stuff.





This week, that has meant White House "threats" to withhold some of Roberts' documents. "Don't you challenge us, now, Wussy Dems. Don't do it, don't do it!" Which is precisely what the White House wants the Dems in the Senate to do. Grab the bait, Run with it. Go after Roberts and make him a victim, while allowing the porcine genius to catch his breath and get to deep cover. The kind that the Valerie Plames of our country are supposed to enjoy. So they can do their jobs which keep us secure. At least that's the way it worked up until 2000. To paraphrase my "Right" minded friends, December 2000 changed everything.

FOR THOSE OF YOU KEEPING SCORE

Sandyford was scratched from the 4th at Del Mar on Opening Day and has not, apparently been reentered since that time. Poor horse. That's usually an injury. Keep your eyes peeled

NO MORE SHOPPING DAYS UNTIL . . . .






Yes, San Diego, get out your green visors, stopwatches, and grease pencils. Find your best lawn chair, or your poofiest hat, and get thee down to thy local purveyor of spirits, one of the eclectic and cool ones, you have to buy some newsprint.

Because the Ghost of Bing Crosby is coming back to Earth for his annual stay, a short, energetic stint at the palace by the sea. Hell no I ain't talking about Tony Robbins' place either. The sport of Kings is returning to Del Mar again, and life is beautiful.
Tomorrow's hot hunch play of the day, Sandyford in the 4th race, a mile on the turf course. Don't bet the farm, just cheer like you have.

CHARACTER INTEGRITY TEST











Say you run an organization. A big one. One that's been around a helluva long time, and is supposed to provide a sense of direction, identity, continuity, righteousness, and just plain old comfort to the people who belong to your organization. You're looking for a spokesperson, and your search is down to two finalists. One is even keeled, slick-smooth and has no problem at all about looking in whatever direction you point him in and speaking whatever load of crap you want him to spew with a straight face. In fact, he's sooo good at the spewage that lots of people will believe him, even though he's barking out a bagfulla doodoo, and he knows it.

Then there's the other guy. Well educated, well dressed. A little rough around the edges, sometimes speaks a little too fast, and sometimes speaks a little too bluntly. But at day's end, he tells it like it is, even when it's what some folks may not want to hear.

Which of these two finalists gets to run your long term, trusted, membership organization. The smooth liar or the dog-eared truth teller? Is it really a tough choice?

Okay, okay, so Richard Harris just read better than you did for the part of Dumbledore. Let go of it, already!!!

THE GREATEST THREAT TO SECURITY AND WELL BEING IS . . .

Yeah, this one occurred to me as I watched creepy little Ken Mehlman lie like 30 square yards of Carpeteria orange shag on Meet the Press this morning, desperately trying to protect Karl Rove from the threshers of Justice. Whether its the cops in the Rodney King (State) trial, the bishops of the Catholic Church, the evil swine of the GOP leadership, the rank and file of the NBA, The African Ameican jurors in People v. Simpson, Scott Peterson's parents, Rush Limbaugh's pharmacists, or, hell, pick it. The biggest threat to our society is the reflex action of sticking up for and trying to shield "one of our own" at the exclusion of and to the detriment of all others.

Professor Lawrence Kohlberg had his six stages of Morality, and his writings sadly pointed out that most people don't get past stage three, characterized by the group identity thing. Stick up for your group, and your group will stick up for you. Yeah, at the end of the day, we all want somebody standing in our corner, preferably someone who isn't billing us $250 an hour or tenth thereof for the privilege, shouting and talking and championing our position, especially when we're threatened. Due process and presumption of innocence are great things, too. But when it becomes bloody apparent that someone's sleazily used his contacts gained as a congressman to reap personal profits from defense contractors in the seven figure range, its time for the fellow travelers to politely step back and let the "Gentleman" dig out of the hole he buried himself in. When your up to your neck in scandal, and you run an organization that is divinely ordained, and to whom your ministers are "called by God" you find a way to promote healing. You don't hire the biggest baddest bastards in the valley Bar and kick ass on people who've been buggered multiple times in their formative years already. Your organization already did that/let that happen once. And when your good friend blurs the line between political payback and jeopardizing national security by disclosing covert operatives to punish insubordination, its long past time to pull up the welcome mat, wish the crazed power junkie well, and run don't walk the other way.

COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU . . .
. . . MZM Productions is proud to present







Duquita, the story of the rise of a humble peasant to the heights of political power,
and the tragic Fall from Grace . . . all caused SOLELY at the hands of a ravenous, greedy media!





DUQUITA(Don't Cry for me)


Don’t cry for me Escondido
The truth is I’m full of Bullsh*t
I made my fortune
Trading influence
I made no promise
My boat’s in drydock

I made no promise


Don’t cry for me Encinitas
I didn’t run to represent you
I wanted riches
A Top-gun mansion
I made no promise
You naïve suckers

I made no promise

Don’t cry for me Elfin Forest
You people are just aging hippies
You should go move to
Rancho Bernardo
I kept my promise
To Rohr and Titan

I got my mansion

A GREAT LITTLE JOKE FROM MY FRIEND MILT


"What's the difference between Karl Rove and bin Laden?"

"Bush knows where to find Rove"

Thanks, Milt. Toldya it was a keeper.

WOULD THAT BE AN ORANGE OR A GREEN JUMPSUIT?







The suit, the matching shackles, and the Radio Microphone. Let's face it boys and girls, the noose is tightening around that bloated neck as we speak. Fear not, ladies and gents, because "Unka Karl," the man affectionately known as "Turd blossom" is never gonna see the inside of a penitentiary, unfortunately. This thing will drag on for years, then, sometime in December 2008, when the country is REALLY sick of this President - he'll give the rat bastard a Pardon. Then the transformation will be complete and he'll join Liddy, Limbaugh, Ollie North, So Cal miscreant Roger Hedgecock and no doubt some other notable locals and get his own Radio Show. Its a well worn career path friends and neighbors. Count on it.

In a perfect world, with real justice, Karl would get to find out first hand just how good that Duncan-Hunter-approved GITMO cuisine really is. "Baked Chicken, pita bread, rice pilaf, and two kinds of fruit!"

MONDAY AND THE HOLIDAY WEEK IS OVER - BACK TO WORK!




Thanks to my cousin Bonnie for passing this one along for all to enjoy. It IS good to be the boss.

WHY THERE IS NO OUTRAGE



(Reprinted as fair use)


Lots of scribes on the political Left, echoed by liberal politicians are troubled by the news from Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, and want to know why more average citizens aren’t up in arms about it, too. They see the pictures and hear the accounts of some first hand observers and ask why is the country cast as the “Leader of the Free World” ignoring this at best, and encouraging it at the worst? Searching for the answer doesn’t require looking into psychological treatises or case studies. Examples of why are all around us.

Every time the family of a crime victim lashes out in anger and unbridled thoughts of pain-riveted vengeance while “caught” on videotape, the notion of what is just and fair is incrementally skewed, and the line between revenge and justice blurs. Every time someone substitutes a convenient slur – for example de-selecting “Arabic” in favor of “rag head” to describe someone from the Mid-East, people from that region of the world are marginally closer to marginalization. E-mail makes this stuff all too easy to pass around from one to another with some keystrokes and a click of a mouse, all in a circle of friends and co-workers get a not-so-subliminal message that certain folks, based on where they were born or grew up, are not as good as “we” are. Politicians know this too, and have played it up for political advantage when it comes to people from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Middle East. In generations past it was primarily the Negro, or the Jew or the Pole, or the Irish,, or the Slavic, who bore the brunt of this type of politics. This type of marginalization has not ended as to these other ethnicities or Creeds, but the slurring of all Arabic/Muslim people was already widespread before, and has gained in acceptance dramatically since September, 2001.

The President and his circle know exactly what they’re doing every time they mention September 11, and “killers” and “terrorists” and “thugs.” They know that every time those things are said in close proximity, the subliminal message to the public is that they’re all killers and thugs, they all had a hand in killing Americans in 2001, and they all don’t deserve the benefits, protections and safeguards of our Constitution, or the Geneva Convention. Those things are reserved for humans who “share our values.” The Adminstration is cynically manipulating public confusion over the distincition between justice and revenge, while fanning the flames of bigotry in the process. It's disgusting, and it ought to stop.

Don’t take my word for it. Ask some of your friends and co-workers what they think about US “detention camps,” and be prepared to hear things like “they killed our people. I don’t care what happens to them.” Sorry to say it seems to be that visceral for a large group of people in our country.

WHEN I THINK OF KARL ROVE . . .

I’m reminded of “Animal Farm” and the pigs that started out seeking to overcome their oppressers, until they themselves became oppressive. Sort of like a sniveling President of College Republiphants three decades or so back, so caught up in victim mentality during the second Nixon administration that he never bothered to actually graduate. So when Lost stumbled across this image from the artistic genius of D. L. Bruin (www.bruindesign.com), I just had to share it with you. I don’t know, maybe a little lipstick would . . .naahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

BASEBALL PART II

Aw, the kids are gonna get spoiled after a week like this one

"Trevor Time" is in full swing


Moises Alou, pigeon-toeing his way to .300 + and 13 home runs

"It's where the Pets go!"

BASEBALL AND A BREAK

The little pair of Losts returned from their Michigan wanderings yesterday, wiped out, a little saddened, but coming to grips with the notion that when the fun ends you can keep the memories for so long as you decide to hold on to them. Today is about creating some more memories, as big-little lost and I head out to the local baseball game. Until then, enjoy the upper midwest through an adolescent's camera-eye view.

WAIT A MINUTE, THE DUKE DOESN’T SINK SLOWLY INTO THE WEST – THAT’S THE SUN’S JOB!





"Oh, Mitch from MZ, come listen to me! The Duke begs a wish from the Magic Mitch"



A gander out West reveals that the name “Cunningham” – once synonymous with “Happy Days” is in reality the old Gaelic derivation of a familiar French surname: de Lay.

Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a staunch Republican who has spent the overwhelming majority of his adult life drawing significant paychecks from a Government which he professes is bloated and in need of reduction, has been caught “crimson fisted” in what is at least an embarrassing deal of shady implications; at worst, the “Duke” has been busted garnering hundreds of thousands of dollars provided by a company seeking to gain government defense contracts, an enterprise which involves the watchful “regulatory” eye of the House Military Appropriations Subcommittee, of which Cunningham is a long-standing member.

Back in November, 2003, the Duke apparently wanted to sell his home in the Del Mar area of Southern California. So he set about doing so the way you and I would - he listed the home with a reputable real estate agent/broker, entertained offers from a variety of sources, and then opened an escrow, went through appraisals, the whole schmear. And somehow, Duke wound up with a payment of $1.67 million for the house. The lucky buyer? A defense contractor (MZM, Inc.)who, though it had no local office in Southern California nevertheless wanted to establish a “presence” in the area for “strategic” reasons. Yep, just like all companies seeking to expand their operational presence would do, buy a house in a new region, not lease a commercial space. But then MZM changed its mind and put the house back on the market one month after it completed the purchase from the Duke. Only when the house goes back on the market – a raging hot San Diego housing market – it languishes for 8 months, and winds up selling for just under a million. Translation, the “Duke” just got “lucky.” So did MZM, because around the same time, it obtained government security contracts for the Iraq war worth several million dollars,

And as the story unfolds, we find the Duke has been living on a yacht owned by MZM’s owner and parked in a DC yacht slip. Now Duke pays the slip charges and maintenance fees, and its just a stroke of luck that this winds up saving Duke several hundred dollars in rent money per month. Oh, the name of MZM’s yacht? The Duke-stir, why did you ask?



Okay, here’s the deal: only part of the above is apparently true. Duke did not put the house on the open market. There was no listing agent, and the transaction may have completely avoided escrow. It also appears that the only realtor involvement was the procurement of comps from a newcomer to the R/E business, one who had been a frequent contributor to Duke’s earlier campaigns. This person was the source of the “comps” on which the sales price was based., and at least one investigation reveals that homes selling for the amount Duke received for his back around November, 2003 were much more well appointed and better situated (ocean views and larger lots) than Duke’s. Oh, and MZM was not the buyer of Duke’s house. Some Nevada organized corporation/LLC with an innocuous name was listed as the purchaser.

If the odor of this is buffeting your nostrils about now, you begin to understand why the FBI and the San Diego U.S. Attorney are paying attention. What may be less clear to you is the original response made by Cunningham to the charges. Professing his honesty, the Duke pointed out “I’ve never even smoked a marijuana cigarette.” Sorry, Duke, this cozy relationship reeks much worse than the pungent aroma of smoldering hemp. Yes, and while San Diego is hardly a bastion of progressive liberalism, and it is unlikely that the next Congressional Rep from the 50th in California will be a non-Republican, the lack of a chorus of defenders for the Duke speaks volumes about his prospects for a ninth term in Congress. The cards indicate that soon, Duke will be announcing a desire to “Spend more time with family.”

AND THE GREATEST AMERICAN IN OUR HISTORY IS . . . A B MOVIE ACTOR?


Yep, capping on last weekend's inagural diatribe, the "merican People - or at least the drones and clones from AOL had theis way and spoke their peace, and batting leadoff for the American team is not The Father of our Country, or the Log Cabin Lawyer who saved the Union or the wizened publisher of "Poor Richard's Almanac." Nope, the greatest American according to "the people" is the guy who hawked 20 Mule Team Borax from behind the host's desk at "Death Valley Days."

Okay, yep, I've heard the story - so much so that I want to keep a pocket full of crackers and toss one to every parrot I hear saying it "he ended the Cold War" Really? About as much as Al Gore invented the internet. Reagan helped atrophy unions as a check on corporate power, he presided over massive expansion of the size of the Federal government and the national debt. Hundreds of Marines perished on his watch in Beirut - so the very next week we invaded Grenada. His people gave Hussein the gas which he used with our blessing in the 1980's - and the fact of which GW Bush used to fuel the fervor for war in 2002. He swore he'd never make deals with terrorists, only there was this thing of selling arms to fundamentalist Iran - the regime that had kidnapped and held 52 Americans hostage for over a year - secretly and funnelling the proceeds to the Nicaraguan contras.

Yes, he was a nice old guy. And he could read his lines on cue - he looked the part, sure. Much more so than today's version does. But labeling this guy as the greatest of the Great of this Nation is sycophantasia at its finest. It's like saying Buster Douglas - best Boxer in U.S. History. Sit down Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Its BUSTER. Back to Remedial History you AOL-ers!!