The bus tour rocks!

Honestly, I'm loving every minute of Sarah Palin's bus tour and the hyperventilating it is causing on both sides of the political spectrum!

Karl Rove -- who by the way abandoned George Bush during his second term in office, leaving him to be slaughtered by the liberal press for making gutsy calls like supporting Gen. Petraeus and such, is on FOX whining that Sarah isn't playing by the rules and isn't/can't run a campaign without doing it the same way it's always been done . . . blah, blah, blah.

George Will is soiling his panties talking about how Sarah can't be trusted with nukes or command, even though the trusted Washington veteran who vetted McCain's VP choices said she knocked the vetting questionaire "out of the park" and came off as totally competent as much or more so than any of the other VP candidates.

The liberal press is whining that Sarah won't pre-advertise her itinerary so they can properly stalk her and sabotage her fan greets with Media Matters plants and other George Soros stooges.

One press manager said she was putting the press "at risk" by forcing them to chase her down the highway in their buses!? Is that rich or what? Here's an idea -- quit chasing her, dumbasses!

The liberal media has spent 4 years trashing this woman and her family for the unpardonable sin of running for Vice President on a Republican ticket. She's been hounded, demagoged, lied about, slandered, stalked, just about every non-physical assault that can be dreamed up has been launched at this incredible woman, and she just keeps going and smiling and making the left look like fools.

I don't care if she runs for President or not. I'm lovin' every minute of her punking these arrogant clowns . . . on both sides of the aisle.

---

And in the bikini fail department for this week, I bring you Aubrey Oday.

Now I don't actually mind Aubrey myself. I actually find her kind of attractive, at least I did before she got so oddly out of shape.

But here's my thing -- if you're going to wear a bathing suit that doesn't have any elastic in it to hold it up, don't hike up your top and suck in your fat belly that's holding the suit up, 'cause you end up with what's going on in the picture on the left below.

Now I'm not sure, but that might be a record for how low a suit can droop without something illegal showing. I'm assuming that the only reason those bottoms aren't around her ankles is because her legs are together.

Couldn't she feel what was going on there? Maybe she didn't care. I don't know. But that's a biscuit away from TMI right there.

The pic on the right is from Aubrey's Playboy shoot a couple of years ago to show that I'm not crazy when I said I found her attractive.

Happy Memorial Day

While you're grilling and enjoying the holiday, take a moment and remember the men and women who gave their lives so that you can have the peace and safety to live yours now.

My father served in the Navy during WWII. They falsified his birth certificate to get him in the service underaged. Though he came home from the war in one piece physically, the mental scars from the horrors of that war stayed fresh until the end of his days.

My son is currently on his second tour in Iraq. The first was with the Marines during the Iraq War. He is now in the Army -- 1st Cav, and is in northern Iraq with the 2-7 as advisers. If you're old enough to remember Vietnam firsthand, that term ought to send shivers down your spine.

I could not be prouder of him and his fellow soldiers and pray every night that they all come home safely to their loved ones.

Friday night palate cleanser

As I wait for my Lightning to crush the Bruins and ride once more into the Stanley Cup Finals, here's a little light fare to tickle the old brain cells.

Apparently Lindsay Lohan made a little quickie art film . . . no, not that kind pervy . . . but some supposed psychological insight thingy for some artist named Richard Phillips. Phillips says the work is an homage/inspired by piece to the work of Ingmar Bergman and Jean-Luc Godard.

Whatever. What gets me is the hash this guys slings as he talks about Linds' awe-inspiring performance in the 2 minute long mini-movie:

“Lindsay has an incredible emotional and physical presence on screen that holds an existential vulnerability, while harnessing the power of the transcendental – the moment in transition.” “She is able to connect with us past all of our memory and projection, expressing our own inner eminence."

Dude! I could do half a bottle of Absinthe and not rock it like this guy! That's some of the best psycho-babble I've ever heard.

F*ckin' phenomenal! And Lindsay's sitting there going "Yeah, what he said!"

It never ends . . .

In the last year, there have been several tragic shootings involving police officers and more recently, a security guard, in the city of St. Petersburg.

The mayor and police chief were speaking of their anguish over these events and feelings of frustration in their ability to prevent the tragedies. Allowing as how this is a common response to such shocking events, I'm inclined to give them a pass on the foolish notion that everything bad can be prevented.

But as usual, they have decided to make a knee-jerk reaction. The mayor spoke of the need to do something, at least symbolic, to show they were concerned over these events. The symbolic action he chose is to re-enact the expired ban on assault weapons in the city of St. Petersburg.

The ban focuses on the AR-15 and AK-47, both semi-automatic rifles of military design that are constantly and wrongly portrayed as more dangerous than a normal firearm, due primarily to their aggressive appearance, use in movies, and ability to accept large capacity magazines.

Bear in mind -- in none of the tragic shootings mentioned by the mayor and chief were these weapons used. In fact, in each case a handgun was used, and that handgun was illegally obtained by the criminal who used it.

So get your head around this situation -- several tragic shootings occur, and the solution of the mayor and chief of police is to ban weapons that were not used in the crimes! As is always the case with these things, the only people affected are law abiding citizens! Criminals by definition to not obey the law, so why do this?!

Defenders of the Second Amendment are always demagoged by the liberal press over their struggles to retain their constitutional rights. We are called hysterics. But here is what is happening and it is exactly what we are always complaining about! And let's trot out the slippery slope argument -- once we start banning these weapons, ones that aren't even involved in crimes, what comes next? And where does it stop?

And while all this is going on, King Obama is in talks to put forward gun control via executive fiat. And I'm not joking about the "King" bit. This president is ruling by executive order -- bypassing the pesky Congress and that troublesome Constitution, to do what he wants without constraint.

How's that kinetic military operation going? We are at war without Congress' approval. The President has created, via the czars, an entire shadow government that operates without any Congressional oversight or citizen input via the voting process. One would think that even the most ardent, cool aide drinking, blindly adherent democratic fanboy would be having second thoughts about the unconstrained power structure growing in the nation's capital.

As always, it's up to us bitter clingers to fight for a government that adheres to the principles of the Constitution.

The press calls us racist haters. I say I'm a loyal American. What are you?

Perhaps he should open his eyes and close his mouth

In his Washington Post op-ed Bill McKibben blames pretty much everything in the world on the false science of climate change.

Continuously snarking about how people should "keep their eyes closed" about his so-called facts, he tries to state that the tragic tornados in Joplin and Tuscloosa are caused by global warming. Never mind that the facts show that strong tornados, f3 - f5, have actually declined in number since the 1950s.

He talks about Arctic melting, but, here we go again, the IPCC data on that was based on an article in some hiking magazine, and anecdotal comments by the author. Not actual measurements.

Some beetle in the Amazon? Climate change! A newsman standing along side the Mississippi river as it floods, like it does every year? Climate change!! Low crop harvests overseas? Climate change!!! Never mind that corn yields here have risen steadily since 1980. Like ole Bill says -- keep your eyes closed! Don't let facts get in the way of his flannel shirt hysteria.

Funny thing about his article, it seems like his entire point was to bitch about a new oil pipeline and new coal mining in Wyoming. Not sure what that has to do with climate change, but again, don't let facts get in the way of his socialist/green agenda.

Everything bad that happens is because of climate change according to idiots like Bill McKibben. I notice that he's listed as a distinguished scholar at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Funny. Distinguished isn't the word I would use to describe this knucklehead. But I'm just another racist/teabagging/potential domestic terrorist/conservative/denier. What do I know?

And on a lighter note . . .

I see where Lindsay Lohan is doing a photo shoot somewhere. And she's also frolicking around in the surf. In a bandeau bikini top.

And what do you know:

Oops. Golly, that was so unexpected. What bad luck that photographer just happened to be there with his super-telephoto lens to get that hi-res shot of Lindsay's exposed boob.

You know, that seems so . . . familiar, you know? Staged pictures, accidental exposure . . . where have I seen that before?

Oh yeah:

What a freaky world we live in. Who would have thought that two fame whore actresses would both have bikini malfunctions like that?

Just no explanation for it, I guess.

Everyone does NOT have a RIGHT to compete

In the St. Pete Times sports section the other day, local sports tool Tom Jones (yeah, I know. . . nice pen name, dude) . . . (wait, why are you looking at my profile? get back here. . .) was giving his two cents worth on various topics.

He brought up a recent ESPN Outside the Lines feature on Casey Martin. Martin, as you may recall, was the affable young man who wanted to play on the PGA tour, but because of a circulatory problem in his legs, needed a cart to traverse the 18 hole courses.

Martin sued the PGA to let him get in and golfing legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus testified on the PGA's behalf, that Martin shouldn't be given an exemption to compete.

Jones calls Arnie and Jack "putz's" and says they are forever "bad guys" in his book for wanting everyone to adhere to the rules of the game.

Here's my thing -- this is an epic fail for Jones!

Golf has rules like every other sport, play by the rules or the game means nothing. I don't care how nice a guy Casey is, if he can't fulfill the requirements of his sport of choice, he doesn't get to play it professionally.

I wasn't born seven feet tall. Should I sue the NBA to change to rules to allow me to play? I played a lot of baseball as a kid. When I finally realized I needed glasses and got them, I could finally see those fastballs whizzing by my head. Took the steam out of my stride. Should I sue the MLB to get pitchers to throw underhanded to me so I can play for my favorite team?

Stupid examples, you say? Okay, how about this . . .

I have a "friend" who has been a competitive shooter off and on since he was a young teen. When he got older, he put a little more effort into it and found he had a talent for the sport. Shooting only on Sundays, three or four a month, my friend became much better than others who practiced for hours on end each week. My friend became state champion four times. He got to try out, twice, for the US Olympic team.

Working sixty plus hours a week, married with a young child, my friend competed against and beat professional shooters who were sponsored by the military and the US Shooting team. He dreamed of one day, making the US team as an older, unsponsored shooter and competing on the world's largest stage -- the Olympics.

But my friend's job is very demanding. And he began getting injured. He began having surgeries. He now has permanent nerve damage in both arms from repetitive stress. He has tendonitis in both elbows and bursitis in both shoulders. He has a titanium plate in his spine from ruptured discs. His orthopeadic doctor asked him if he played professional football, because the only time he saw calcification of the shoulder tendons like my friend has, was from lineman getting their pads rammed down repeatedly upon their shoulders.

My friend can no longer compete competitively. He uses felt tip pens because ball points are too difficult to use. He keeps channel lock pliers in the kitchen to open jars. His dream of the Olympics is just a painful memory now.

According to Mr. Jones' logic, my friend should sue the USOC and IOC to have them change their rules to allow him to use artificial devices to help him shoot. My friend is a nice guy. He really wanted this, it was a huge goal he hoped to achieve. I would be willing to put money on the fact that my friend, as a shooter, was better than Casey Martin is as a golfer.

So sue, right?

Wrong.

It's hard cheese to swallow, but there it is. Everyone cannot compete just because they want to or feel it is owed to them.

This country was founded on the principle that everyone has the right to try. My friend and Casey both got to try at their respective sports, but neither was able to make the grade. Fate is a cruel, heartless b*tch who takes you to the door of your dreams before pulling the lever and dropping you into a pit of despair and anguish. It sucks, but that's how it is.

But the current rage of "everyone's a winner" "everyone gets a trophy" feel good, don't hurt anyone's feelings style of parenting and raising children is creating a country of whiny babies who don't know how to handle rejection.

Is it any wonder we see more and more instances of children lashing out at parents or teachers who deny them what they want? What they think they deserve? A boy wants to go past first base with his girl. She tells him no. He explodes and does something horrid. Why? He wanted it and she said no, how dare she deny him, no one else in his life ever has.

We have generations of young people who think everything should be handed to them -- I don't want to compete for a job, they say, just give me money and someplace to live. Make my decisions for me, because I don't know how to make tough choices, they say. What if I make the wrong one? What if I fail? I don't know how, no one's ever let me.

Is it any wonder we're in the mess we're in today in the world?

Rule 5 Sunday -- Playboy edition

Today's Rule 5 Sunday submission is a selection of safe for work images from the pages of Playboy.

It's been tough watching the decline of the once noteworthy publication. Granted it's more of a cultural thing than a journalist-ic thing. The magazine was a rite of passage for young men turning 18.

You moved out of the house to go to college or start your life, and once you got your own place, you sent that subscription in, practically before you did anything else.

But now, with 500 uncensored cable channels, the internet, and far too many sources for salacious imagery, the 'zine's lost its luster. The stigma and notoriety of appearing in Playboy isn't likely to push a young woman's career forward like it once did.

And the photography, once so imaginative and artistic, has, with the over-reliance on Photoshop and other image editing software, become ordinary and at times uninspiring.

So here's a selection of scans from old issues. It's not always easy to find the "safe for work" stuff, but I was willing to put in the long hours for my one or two loyal readers. heh

*click on the thumbnail for full-sized images*

Rule 5 Sunday suggested by this.

Rest in Peace -- Randy Savage

Former pro wrestler Randy Savage died today. Apparently he had a heart attack while driving, lost control of his car and crashed into a tree.

I actually met Randy on numerous occassions. My initial take away was that he was a lot smaller in person than I expected. I'm 5'11" and either he was the same height or a tad smaller, but it surprised me that he wasn't this huge, hulking figure. He was, of course, twice as wide as me -- he was a pretty muscular dude, after all.

When he was dating that Gorgeous George chick, she lived across the street from a friend of mine. And when I would visit my friend, there would be Macho, sitting in the front yard in a lawn chair, cooler of beer and a boom box -- his big ass honkin' Hummer pulled up in the grass.

Randy's Hummer was one of the original Hummer's that came out. Not the domesticated version people drive now. When he fired that thing up it sounded like a M1A Abrahms firing up! Something my friend used to bitch about constantly.

I was always taken by how awkward he seemed in public. It always seemed to me like he couldn't decide if he should be "in character" or not, when he met someone. When I would shout out to him, he'd strike that pose -- arms akimbo, thumb in the belt -- for a second, then he'd loosen up and chat a bit. I can't decide if that was sad or not, but it's something you don't think about with celebs -- how they should be around the fans, you know?

I was at his condo one time, and there was a box from Harry & David's sitting by his door. I asked if it was his Christmas bonus from WCW, and he cracked up big time. A genuine moment.

People alway rag on pro wrestlers, about how the fighting is fake and all. Yeah, they aren't really fighting. Obviously. But those 20ft falls onto the hard concrete floor aren't fake. The broken bones and ruptured discs aren't fake. The stitches aren't fake. Owen Hart is really dead from a fall in the ring. The blood isn't fake, though often not as serious as it appears. Pro wrestlers are like stunt men, they're getting busted up doing stunts at each event. And those events come 4 and 5 nights a week, up to 50 weeks a year.

Pro wrestling is a cruel business. If these guys can't go, someone like Vince McMahon won't hesitate to toss them aside and use someone else. The promoters are heartless. And these guys (and gals) get chewed up by it all the time. They take pain killers, steroids, whatever it takes to keep going. And that takes a toll. Remember how Chris Benoit spiralled downward until he murdered his family and took his own life. It can be a tragic business.

Also of note -- Jack Brisco died monday from complications from heart surgery, I think. Another local guy. And yeah, I met him a couple of times as well at the auto shop his family ran in Tampa.

I know these guys aren't world leaders or earth shakers, but they were larger than life entertainers and local celebs. It's just tough to see them go so suddenly.

Aww yeah, baby!

Presented without comment -- Mischa Barton at Heathrow airport today:

Okay, I can't stand it . . . I love the one lady staring at Mischa's ass with the OMG look on her face.

I swear, the sloppier this chick looks . . . the more I want her.

What is wrong with me?

Bibi schools Barack

Last night, our President threw the soveriegn state of Israel under the bus to placate the cowardly terrorist Palestinians.

Today, the Israeli Prime Minister threw the bus back at Obama:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Excellent response from a real leader!

Wait, why is this controversial?

Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law today a bill aimed at insuring fair and untainted elections throughout the state.

According to the usual sources (liberal media, howling libs, etc.) the bill will stifle election turnout by increasing voter intimidation and making it harder to vote.

?!?

The bill changes the early voting times from 15 - 6 hour days to 8 - 12 hour days, which makes it easier for working voters to vote before or after work. I guess knowing that unemployed voters are more likely to vote Democratic, since they want to keep the gravy train rolling, media hacks figure that this somehow benefits Republican candidates.

Yeah, I don't get it either, but I'm not a professional ass kisser/socialist like the liberal media types.

The bill also requires voters who haved moved just prior to the election to cast provisional ballots. According to the above sources, this is a demeaning and intimidating thing meant to scare away voters. Not sure how that works either. The only voter intimidation I've seen in recent times was the Black Panthers brandishing clubs around polling places to keep non-minority voters away.

One mid-state county official said that prior to the last election, he had upwards of 3000 voters move into his district at the last minute and register at the polls when they voted. Coincidentally, all these voters were registered Democrats too. Gee, that doesn't sound suspicious at all.

Out of curiosity, I checked and found a website for Pinellas County that allows you to update your voter info online. Gee, how convenient. Now according to the above sources (again) this whole "online" upgrade is way too hard for college students to figure out and not everyone has internet access yada, yada . . .

Perhaps if the League of Women Voters would take a few minutes away from creating attack ads that target politicians they don't like (read: republican/conservative/tea party) they could help with this whole voting registration thing. I kind of thought that was their purpose for existence anyway.

One official actually stated that voters don't think about stuff like this until the last minute and they shouldn't be penalized for procrastinating.

Yeah.

Here's my thing -- unless you just turned of legal voting age, you've been voting for quite some time. These elections don't sneak up on you. You knew it was coming. If you're too stupid or lazy to get registered, then you don't get to vote. End of discussion.

Like I said, why is this controversial?

---

And apropos of nothing, here's a couple pics of Brooke Hogan in a bikini.

What do you mean, why?

She's got a bangin' body . . . she's kind of cute . . . she's . . . ahh get off me, okay. I've had a long day.

sheesh

Quote of the day

From Ann Coulter's column at Human Events:

"As [Phyllis] Schlafly says, no wonder liberal women think men are pigs: Their men are pigs."

*emphasis mine*

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=43598&s=rcmp

Newt Gingrich performs political sepaku

A few years back, I was one of the Bloggers for Huckabee, actually one of the first bloggers he had on the rolls. And as the campaign primaries unfolded, so did Huck. Or more accurately, he imploded. A series of unexplainable gaffes and ham handed political mistakes cost him the primary and I believe the presidency. Because I believe he would have defeated Obama in the general election.

It was painful to watch him unravel thusly. I believe due to the rigors of the campaign, something he had not really prepared himself for.

I'm getting a deja vu thing here with Newt.

His disastrous performance on Sunday's Meet the Press, probably ended his campaign before it ever got off the ground.

Bashing Paul Ryan's budget, talking about right wing social engineering, contradicting himself -- he displayed a tone deafness to the grass roots political uprising in his own party that defies explanation.

Of course, he's desperately trying to walk this stuff back. Talking about how the MtP thing was out of context, how he wasn't aggressive enough, too scholarly, yada, yada . . .

I'm going to give him the same benefit he gave Sarah Palin after her ambush interview by the now unemployed Katie Couric -- how can Newt hope to run the country when he can't handle a simple interview?

I'll give him credit for taking his lumps and trying to fix all this. And he actually seems to relish the idea of fighting to restore his campaign. But I believe he's done for here.

I wouldn't have voted for him unless he was the Republican nominee anyway. My personal feeling is that Newt's a lot like Bill Clinton -- Clinton only wanted to be President so he could spend the rest of his life being referred to as "Former President Clinton" it was a resume thing, not a "vision thing" as Bush used to say.

Plus, they have better looking interns in Washington as opposed to Arkansas. And you know how ole Billy Jeff likes him some interns.

Newt just wants to show a list of "things" he got done. He doesn't care if they fit in with his political party's ideals, he just wants a list of accomplishments after his name. That's why someone who is supposedly so smart has jumped fully onto the farsical AGW bandwagon and refuses to notice the scores of scientists now pointing out all the faulty science and misinformation in Al Gore's ponzi scheme.

So sadly, Newt's going to keep making the rounds of the talk shows, walking back his talk and diluting the field for the next election. All to feed his ego.

It's going to be a long drawn out political death, and one that will probably be enjoyed as much on the right as the left.

Why the post office doesn't work -- part 1017

So my truck breaks down on the route today.

Like I'm supposed to do, I call the office. And I call again. And again. And again.

Yeah, no one's answering.

So I finally text one of the clerks and ask her to pass along the info that I'm broken down and calling the maintenance guys to service the truck.

I takes the dude about 30 minutes to get out to my truck. Now bear in mind -- I told the dispatcher what was wrong with the truck, so they had an idea of what was up before hand. Turns out it's the starter. Problem is, the mechanic doesn't have a starter with him.

?!?

After I described the problem on the phone, they don't send out the necessary parts to fix the vehicle.

So the dude calls in for the part to be sent out. And we wait. And wait. And wait.

It finally gets there after nearly another 30 minutes. So I've been standing out in the sun, doing nothing, for over an hour now. And guess what? Guy has brought the wrong starter!

?!?

Now apparently, there are only two types of starters for these vehicles. If it was you, would you not have brought one of each with you? You know, just in case. 'Cause you've got this big ole' truck and them lil' starters are so teensie weensie, why golly, you could just put bunches of them in there without causing any problems.

So they call, again, for the right part to be delivered. And we're gonna have to wait for it. And again, bear in mind -- I've been on the clock for over 7 hours now with no break or lunch and it's mid-afternoon and I've got 3/4's of my route left to deliver and my truck is still broken!

So I call my office and tell my boss I'm going to need another truck, 'cause heaven knows how much longer this is going to take and I'm going to need help to get off the street by 5:00pm.

Now the 5:00 window, though total bullsh*t, is a really hot topic at the P.O. They harp on it constantly and it is a daily source of aggravation and point of contention between management and craft.

So my boss knows what's up. Knows all the consequences of delays here. My office is 5 minutes away from where I'm broke down. The vehicle maintenance office is over 30 minutes away. Wanna guess who gets to me first?

My bosses, but only by one minute!

Long story short (too late, I know), I swap my stuff out, get some help from another carrier, skip my lunch (if you're counting at home, that's almost 10 hours on the clock with no breaks or food) and get done.

A simple situation, something that could have been handled with a minimum of disruption to the timely delivery of my route turned into a complete clusterf*ck nightmare!

And this incompetence permeates every level of the Post Office. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of decent, hard working, consciencous workers at the P.O., but gross stupidity and mis-management runs rampant throughout the organization.

And to think, I'm going to have to ride this Titanic all the way to the bottom.

*groan*

---

And for no particular reason, here's Adrianne Palicki, of the now cancelled Wonder Woman reboot. Probably a bad idea, since tv writing pretty much sucks these days, but I was looking forward to seeing if they could pull it off.

Plus she's kind of hot, which is a good thing.

Rule 5 Sunday -- Joanna Krupa

This week's Rule 5 posting is Joanna Krupa.

I'm not entirely sure why Joanna is so famous. I mean, I know she's pretty hot, and she's got a pretty hot sister. And I know she does a lot of modeling in sexy lingerie or swimsuits. Sometimes even naked . . .

Oh . . . *slaps palm to forehead* . . . okay, nevermind.

*click on the thumbnails for full-sized images*

Rule 5 Sunday suggested by this.

Eesh, what a week!

Man, the first week back after vacation has really sucked! I had plenty of things I wanted to blog about, and just couldn't get up for it. Good thing no one actually follows this blog, they might be disappointed. heh

It poured rain today. We had the Food Drive, so I can barely lift my arm. Did you donate? It's a good cause, especially now with the economy in the crapper. My customers are the greatest, they actually go shopping for stuff and leave bags of groceries at their mailboxes.

Thanks guys!

As I type this, the Rays lost to the Orioles, but remain in first place in the East. Wade Davis got smacked around a bit, and the offense forgot to show up. This is where the presence of a dominant clean-up hitter would help out. hint, hint

The Sox are in a pitching duel with the hated Yankees -- scoreless last time I looked.

Update: Sox win in a shut out. Huzzah!

And this just in -- Jorge Posada is a whiny b*tch! Dude's batting close to the Mendoza line and instead of accepting his move to 9th in the order, he opted out of the line up and plans to give a "statement" after the game.

Hey Jorge, here's a statement for ya -- try showing a little class. Take a cue from Jason Varitek of the Sox. He gracefully accepted his limited role/dh and hung around to mentor the new catchers that are following in his huge footsteps.

Fun fact -- 'tek's the only catcher in history to catch four no-hitters with four different pitchers!

But don't expect class from one of the whiny millionaires on the Yankees.

Huck's decided not to run for President, to the cheering from the right wing pundits. I guess the bit where Huck polled better than any other candidate against Obama didn't mean much to these geniuses.

They're still hung up on the bad grade he got from the Club for Growth when he was governor of Arkansas. Never mind he was lauded as one of the top five gov's in the country. He couldn't run his cash poor state like New York or Florida.

And oh yeah, here's my thing -- why are conservatives letting the left tell them who to run for President?! Ever notice how the only people the right talks about are the losers the left tells them should run? Trump, Ron Paul, Mitt "flip-flop"? Maybe the left likes these guys 'cause they couldn't win in a race against each other, let alone the current President with the entire media behind him.

But what do I know.

---

And I know these pics have been everywhere already but here's my thoughts:

Remember when everyone was saying that Miley was getting all tatted up, 'cause she was acting out over her parent's possible divorce? Yeah, well apparently little Miley likes the ink 'cause mommy looks like midway carny! No wonder Brett Michaels wanted her on his Rock of Love skank bus. jeez

And for the record, I apologize for noticing that Miley looks kind of cute in a bikini.

Because everyone else has weighed in on Lady Gaga

Deliberately being lazy yesterday on the penultimate day of my vacation, I caught Lady Gaga's HBO special. It was hard to miss, actually, because they ran it back to back on every effin' channel all day long!

But I did watch it. And here's my thing -- it was pretty good.

I'm not on the hater parade about Lady Gaga. She's a musician, not a rocket scientist, so I don't get all the angst over her from, well, pretty much everybody. Her music has an interesting sound to it. Some I like, other stuff -- meh.

In my other blog, I gave my thoughts on Born this Way, her note-for-note reissue of Madonna's Express Yourself. And aside from being perplexed that she wasn't sued over it, I like the song. Mostly because I liked the original.

But her MSG performance that HBO taped was a nice mix of spectacle throughout. It has a theme -- her and her friends travelling to the Monster Ball. They get lost and singing ensues.

Despite all the noise about Lady Gaga, one thing is very clear -- chick can sing live. And that is something that sets her apart from the majority of the music industry today. Her voice may not be perfect, but she's got the pipes to pull off a live show that sounds good.

She does a song off her new cd -- You and I -- I think it's called. Performed live, its a pretty tough rocker and sitting at the piano, she pounds that sucker out -- with, as she points out, her "long ass New York fingernails" -- I was impressed.

She makes a point during the show about not lip-synching her performances which sounded like it was aimed at Britney (who completely deserves it, imho). But she is clever enough to have 3 or 4 back up singers who harmonize excellently with her. This allows her to vocally step in and out of songs to manage the dancing involved. It's a savvy tactic, and something that winds its way through her entire music career -- she's taking everything everyone else before her has worked out, and put it all together in one package -- her.

She plays the audience, throughout the show, like a violin. For someone who's just burst on the scene, she displays a long time pro's knack for knowing how to work a crowd. Watching her push the audience's buttons again and again brought a smile to my face. It was a veteran-like performance from someone who simply shouldn't know how to pull it off. But does.

Gaga takes a lot of hits for pandering -- whether it is to gays, or her audience in the form of self empowerment spiels, shout outs to celebs in attendance, etc. Again, here's my thing -- what performer, in any genre isn't pandering to their audience in one way or another? Whether its making music they think their fans want, or movies, or writing books, everyone selling a performance is pandering to their fan base.

Lady Gaga is just a bit more blatant about it.

So I say -- so what? Don't like it? Don't pay attention to her.

And I've got to give her props for self-confidence, because she spends almost the entire show half naked. And that's a gutsy thing. From a purely guy-ish standpoint, that's some amazing white girl booty she has going on there! The dancing is nothing elaborate, but she's moving with the music and it seems kind of natural. I always thought those singers that were noted dancers -- Madonna, Michael & Janet Jackson -- always looked better when they just danced rather than worked so hard at choreographed numbers. Gaga keeps it simpler with her moves and to this rythymless old white guy, it looked pretty good.

With the exception of one part in the show where she went a bit overboard to be religously discourteous, it was worth watching again. And I have.

So if you haven't seen Lady Gaga, and want an idea of what all the hubbubs about, I recommend watching it. And if you're already a fan, and haven't seen it, you're missing something.

To reinforce my point about her pipes, here's an acapella version of Born this Way that plays at the end of the show. Again, girl does have some talent:

Weekend sports and stuff

So as I'm desperately clinging on to the last days of my vacation, and trying to avoid anything real world, like politics and such. Here's what I'm thinking about sports:

The Rays swept the Orioles to give them 20 wins total and 8 road wins in a row, for a team record. For some reason . . . okay, win percentage . . . the Rays are still in second place behind the hated Yankees who have 19 wins.

Whatever.

I just cannot believe how great these guys are playing. They really need one big bat in the lineup. Who knows. If they are looking at the playoffs when the signing deadline approaches . . .

The Sox won again and are hoping to take the series against the Twins. The guys are still below .500 and I'm wondering how much longer they are going to wait before hitting the gas.

Boston can't afford to let Tampa and New York pull away. Third place in the East goes home. And someone's gonna lose their job if they don't make the playoffs with that payroll.

Congrats to Regan Smith for winning at Darlington Saturday night.

I always love it when the car that wins has like, no sponsor stuff on it. It's like when that kid driving for the Woods Brothers won Daytona. All those big buck teams, and some little guy sneaks in there for the win. heh

Had the TrackPass thingy on again for the race. Naturally, the driver I chose to spotlight, Tony Stewart, had his gps go out, so no race telemetry for him.

But the radio stuff worked good. The overall telemetry cut out around the half-way mark again. But you just have to close the page down and reload it to clear that up. Guess it's over buffered or something.

But it looks like something I'll keep getting in years to come if they offer it.

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And I spied these pics of the Duffster out and about the other day:

Oof! Check out those groovy retro bell bottoms she's rockin'! I'm getting a whole warm and fuzzy 70s flash back here -- bell bottom jeans, faux crochetted top . . . Aww yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!

Rule 5 Sunday -- Kate Beckinsale

Today's Rule 5 posting, in honor of Mother's Day, is the hottest mom in Hollywood -- Kate Beckinsale.

I'm a fan of her work in movies, from the obvious -- Underworld series of vampire flicks, to less noticed things like the underrated Whiteout. I think that while she's never touted as some sort of Oscar contender, she's a competent actress and appears in a wide variety of roles from comedies to action stuff. You know . . . like an actress is supposed to do.

Not appear in the same flick over and over again . . .*cough* rom-com *cough* . . . *cough* Jennifer Aniston *cough*

I also like how she's just got this casual beauty about her. You're always seeing pics of her in sweats at the dog walk, and she's just killin' it. While some other Hollywood type is slathering on 20 lbs of make-up and waiting for the light to be right, just to get out of her car. Kate is just effortlessly beautiful.

So Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. Know that all us sons love you for everything you've done for us.

*click on the thumbnails for full-sized pics*

Rule 5 Sunday suggested by this.

Photoshop award -- Maxim

So Cameron Diaz is on the cover of Cosmo and Maxim magazines this month looking all girly and cute and so much like the actress we fell in love with from The Mask and the first Charlie's Angels movie.

I actually found her giggly goodness infectous in the Angels movie and it made the flick all the better. In fact, I think she actually stole that movie from Drew and Lucy.

Only problem is that the last time we saw little Camy, she looked like this:

. . . like she just got done making Chuck Liddell cry like a baby in a steel cage match and was on her way to audition for the part of the She-Hulk in yet another Marvel destruction of a popular comic book.
Not complaining, just sayin' . . . that's some pixel-rific work there guys.

And still winning . . .

And I'm still not talking about Charlie Sheen!

The Lightning won again tonight 5-3 to complete the series sweep of the Capitals. Sean Bergenheim had two goals to give him 7 for the playoffs, which is tied for the most by a player this year.

Not to sound like a broken record here, but this is why Yzerman brought in Guy Boucher. Known as an innovator and risk taker in the independent league, Boucher was one of those "names" that gets thrown around by knowledgeable types when they talk about an impact making new coach. Except that Stevie Y pulled the trigger on Boucher and brought him in. And he has lit a fire under these guys.

Marty St. Louis was saying last year how he wasn't sure he wanted to be on this team anymore. But he's back to mvp form again.

It's just such a huge turn around, if you weren't watching these guys last year, you really cannot appreciate it.

Way to go guys!

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I see my favorite hot mess, Mischa Barton, is on vacation in Hawaii this week.

Not to seem cruel . . . but vacation from what? Exactly?

Topedoing her once promising career?

I don't get it. I actually find her sloppy goodness kind of appealing. And she's not actually a bad actress -- ever see Walled In? It's a pretty cool movie, she does a credible job in it. But she's just kind of run herself out of the industry with her problematic behaviour.

pity