Prez to PM: Thanx for Not Being Cruel

President George W. Bush is taking Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Graceland today aboard Air Force One. The President is rewarding one of his most stalwart allies in the war in Iraq as Koizumi makes his last official visit to Washington as prime minister. The two dignitaries will be given a personal tour by Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie,and his former wife, Priscilla. The President intends to also give the Japanese PM a jukebox filled with Elvis hits as he bids a fond farewell to one of the few world leaders who didn't view him with Suspicious Minds.

Snake Alert

No, I'm not talking about pols but the real kind. As most of you know, I have had an overabundance of outside cats. However, lately, I've noticed a decimation of the number of ones that feed atop my back porch. Initially, I thought that they might have been feasting on field mice in adjacent corn fields. However, I have heard twice the telltale sounds of a rattler: I tend to think that one or more have preyed on the curious felines. Please be extra careful outside and caution the children to be extra observant as they play in these halcyon days of summer.

Barbara Disses Star

Even though I've never watched an episode of the View, I must say that they are dishing up quite a bit of delicious fun. As some (or all) of you may know, Star Jones has been of late a controversial co-host of the View run by her co-host Barbara Walters. The very week Star was verbally slapped by erstwhile Queen of Nice Rosie O'Donnell (who accused Star of using gastric bypass surgery to achieve her incredible weight loss), Rosie was hired at the behest of Walters. Yesterday Star apprised the audience that she was leaving the show when Barbara and the network had intended to do so at the end of the week. Barbara claimed that she was betrayed by Starr, barred Starr from today's show and future shows, and said that she and her co-hosts would have backed any version that Star conjured up to save face. Star denied that her whilom mentor had her back as Barbara had claimed and revealed that her contract was not renewed.

Grassley: Tax Da Pimps & Hoes

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has decided to expand sin taxes to include pimps and their prostitutes. Now that cigs & alcohol are bringing in much needed revenue to support health and education to our states, Grassley has discovered prostitution as an additional source. Maybe, he'll expand it to include the income of drug traffickers next. Then our federal and state governments can avail themselves of the underground economy that remains largely untaxed: they will have a vested interest in protecting and encouraging the vices of taxpayers. Light up a cig and have a drink for the kids: they need the tax money. Before long, you'll need to have a lady of the night to cut the deficit if Grassley has his way. Maybe, in the future, the government will want you to toke for 'em, too.

Cf. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/27/pimp.tax.

Back in the Blogosphere!

Guys & gals, it's good to finally be back! After having my internal modem fried by a freak outage, I got some new software and hardware which have allowed me to return. Of course, there may be some that wish that this Luddite was back in the hinterlands. C'est la vie!

CBS Gives Rather Evil Eye

Dan Rather, CBS veteran of 44 years, was bid adieu yesterday long before his contract was set to expire in November as CBS News President Sean McManus said, "Basically, there wasn't a situation that we could come up with where there was enough meaningful work for Dan to do at CBS News that made sense for both him and us: I had to make the decision of what to do in that situation, and that was the decision that I came up with." "You never expect for someone who's been the face of the network for so long to just be given an office which is essentially a closet . . . and then not to be given air time and then to have it be leaked to the press that he's being booted: it's jarring" added Ken Auletta, New Yorker critic. Today CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves concluded, "I'm sorry it ended the way it did." Unlike the time Rather infamously walked off the air in a snit after CBS preempted his opening of CBS Evening News in favor of coverage of the US Open, very few noticed (or even seemed to care) when he sang his lonesome swan song.

Cf. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13436656 and http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13348523.

East Meets West at Graceland

Elvis Presley, who never toured abroad, never realized that he would bring the Orient and the Occident together. When President George W. Bush hosts Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi June 30, Bush will tour Presley's home Graceland with Elvis' most famous Asian fan Koizumi. Kozumi is an avid Elvis afficionado: the Prime Minister, who personally picked his twenty-five fave Elvis songs for a  limited edition charity CD of 200,000 copies eagerly snapped up by fans, serenaded the President at his birthday bash with "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" last year and proudly notes that he shares the same Janury 8th birthday with Presley. Elvis, You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog but we still Love You Tender. :-)

Elvis Still the King

The King of Rock & Roll Elvis Presley is still much beloved by his fans even almost thirty years after his death: he leads other dead celebs as he pulled in almost $52,000,000 from the grave in 2005. Grunge rocker Kurt Cobain raked in around $50 million, much of it from Courtney Love's sale of 25% of Nirvana's song catalog. Brainy, quirky Einstein raked in $25 million from sales of his image. Iconic sex kitten Marilyn Monroe generated $8 million in revenue.

Cf. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199807,00.html.

Jefferson Stripped of Powerful Position

Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) was stripped of his powerful House Ways & Means Committee seat on a voice vote Friday. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) headed the effort to unseat her fellow Democratic colleague. Pelosi has been waging an election war with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) against Republicans alleging a "culture of corruption." The campaign has been hampered by an investigation of Jefferson that has resulted in the conviction of two people who have pled guilty to bribery-related charges involving the U.S. representative, the videotaping of Jefferson accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an executive in an F.B.I. bribery sting operation,  and the subsequent discovery of $90,000 (purportedly with matching serial numbers) in Jefferson's freezer at his home in New Orleans.

Cf. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199726,00.html and http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197183,00.html.

Dan Rather Sad

After 44 years at CBS, Dan Rather must be able to commiserate with the man he sent packing over 25 years ago, the once legendary Walter Cronkite. Unlike Cronkite, Rather was not ushered out by his successor but by the network brass after he shamed them and himself with Memogate and his subsequent nonsensical defenses of his tale. When he reluctantly retired from the anchor chair, CBS's rating increased significantly as veteran Bill Sheiffer stepped in admirably on an interim basis. Shortly thereafter, 60 Minutes Wednesday which featured Rather's unsubstantiated story was cancelled, and Rather ensconced himself at the original 60 Minutes show. Last season, Rather did only eight pieces last season (vis-a-vis the twenty of a normal workload). Now he is in contract talks with CBS, hoping to be able to stay at the news network that he once commanded.  Rather said that he has never had a conversation with  Sean McManus, CBS News President since October 2005, and had only said hi twice, once at a tribute to Ted Koppel and once a memorial service for 60 Minutes director Artie Bloom. Rather added, "I have no feelings about it: he's busy." He added, "As ridiculous as it might be, I'm still trying to do great jounalism. I would like to stay. . .."  However, he clearly does not know whether he still can hang his hat at the place that he lead, loved, and left adrift as CBS's face on the national news scene. A CBS News representative stated, "Dan is a 60 Minutes correspondent, and we don't comment on contractual issues."

Cf. http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14818815.htm?source=rss&channel=philly_news.

Popette Banderas

Julie Banderas, host of "The Big Story" on FNC on the weekends, tried to be a female Bill O'Reilly but turned into a Phil Donahue on meth in her interview of Shirley Phelps-Roper, a horribly misguided spokesperson for Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS. (This church pickets the funerals of slain servicemen with repulsive signs such as "Thank God for 9-11," "Thank God for IEDs," and "God Hates Fags.") However, instead of logically arguing with Phelps-Roper, a consitutional lawyer, Banderas pontificates that she is going to hell and attacks her with ad hominem attacks such as calling her "the devil" and saying that she was insane. Then today when discussing the errant polygamist leader of an LDS splinter group similar to the one portrayed in the critically acclaimed HBO "Big Love" series, she denies his Christianity and impugns the motives of the groups' belief system without supplying even an elementary basis for her conclusions. Even though she may have a sense of right and wrong, the poor woman has not a scintilla of sense to logically back up what she says. It's as if she were Jerry Springer moralizing at the end of his show: thinking something is wrong but having no idea why.

Did Ya Hear?

Did you hear that the Bikini Strangler suspected allegedly tried to rape a Birmingham lady but was dissuaded when she began to witness to him? That Al-Zarqawi was placed on a gurney and recognized those attempting to give him medical aid as U.S. military and that he apparently tried to escape before suddenly dying? That Ann got attacked again as vicious this time by a Demorcratic 9-11 commissioner? That the Dixie Chicks' ticket sales in the South are suffering whereas her Canadian concert sold out quickly? Did you hear that I only had a few minutes to compose this? :-)

Al-Zarqawi Killed in Air Strike

Bush's Iraq policy received a major boost Wednesday evening when American F-16 aces used two 500-lb. precision bombs to take out al-Zarqawi, his spiritual adviser, Il-Iraqi, and four other people in a safe house outside of Baqouba, north of Baghdad. The death of "the slaughtering sheik" (as he was affectionately called by his followers) was confirmed by Al-Qaida the terrorist group he led in Iraq.  The death of the ruthless 39-year-old was hailed by Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki who promised to honor the $25,000,000 bounty on Al-Zarqawi's head. Ordinary Iraqi citizens danced in the streets at news of Al-Zarqawi's demise, and Americans have reason for renewed hope for a peaceful, democratic Iraq.

Ann Claws Back

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) attacked conservative columnist Ann Coulter for her "vicious, mean-spirited attack" on a quartet of 9-11 widows who have been outspoken critics of the Bush administration and supporters of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Clinton further opined that maybe Coulter's book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism" should be called "Heartless." Coulter in her inimitable style had named the widows the Witches of East Brunswick (where two of these women reside); said, "I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much"; and added in a recent interview that they were using their grief to make a political point. In response to Clinton's harsh criticism, Coulter said, "Before criticizing others for being 'mean' to women, perhaps, Hillary should talk to her husband who was accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick and was groping Kathleen Willey at the very moment Willey's husband was committing suicide." Cat fight!

Cf. http://drudgereport.com and http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/07/D8I3LT281.html.

Marriage Amend't: Meaningless Sop?

Now that moral conservatives have the upper hand in the mid-term elections, President Bush and Senate Republicans are advocating a ban on homosexual marriages in the form of a marriage amendment to the Constitution. Their efforts to regain their base's strong support would seem more genuine if  the amendment has a realistic chance of passage and the Bush and Congressional Republican poll numbers were not in the tank. Reasons for the abysmal ratings are that the Republican base is dissatified with profligate government spending, weak illegal immigration control efforts, and a wearing war in Iraq. Republicans are fortunate in that Democrats appear leaderless and rudderless on national issues and policies. It remains to be seen whether Republicans can hold the House and Senate in their weakened position this fall.

Bikini Strangler Suspect Nabbed

Around 11:45 p.m. last night, Jerry Buck Inman, 35, a registered sex offender in FL and NC, was arrested in Dandridge, TN, on charges of the murder, rape, and kidnapping of Clemson student Tiffany Marie Soeurs. Inman was driving past his parents' home when Jefferson County's sheriff's deputies nabbed the suspect without incident. According to Robert Steward, division chief of the South Carolina State Law Enforcement, Inman's DNA matched that taken from Souer's apartment. Soeur's was found dead on May 26, 2006, with her wrists and ankles bound and a bikini top still around her neck.Souer's brother Trevor said that he hugged his mother when he heard the news and related that his mother stated that she was happy for the first time in a while.

Cf. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/07/D8I39D3G1.html.

Readers, please be patient because a recent electricity surge destroyed my computer modem. I am using someone else's computer on occasion to make updates. At least, on this PC (unlike my Mac) I can give you interactive links.

Tricky Dix Chix

The Dixie Chix' "Taking the Long Way" is the number one album this week after a long exile stemming from lead singer Natalie Maines' statement in London that "just so you know, we're ashamed that the President is from Texas." Later, she sloughed it off as an unplanned joke and apologized. Country fans were outraged, boycotted their music, and even trampled their CDS; and country radio stations no longer gave them air play. Consequently, the Dixie Chix tried to reposition themselves muscially. Natalie stated on 60 Minutes, "I've never pretended to be country to the core." In the AP, Natalie is quoted as saying, "I don't even know what's played on country radio. . .." Now that Bush's poll numbers are in the cellar, the Dixie Chix are taking back their apology and singing "Not Ready to Make Nice." Silly Chix, Trix are for kids: unless you're in the red light district.

Bikini Strangler Suspect Pics

Greenville County prosecutor Bob Ariail released photos today of the suspect thought to be a young (18-25) white male in the Bikini Strangler case. The pics showed the suspect, masked by two bandanas, trying to access Tiffany Marie Souer's account with her debit card. He tried unsuccessfully to use it six times at Wachovia and Sun Trust banks: ironically, Tiffany's killer left $500 in cash in her apartment. Further, the prosecutor indicated that the purported perp had a light-colored, two-door SUV (probably a 1982-1994 GMC Jimmy or Chevy Blazer) and remained in the area. Moreover, he believed the slaying to be sexually motivated. (Seemingly, the suspect removed Tiffany's sheets, perhaps, indicating his attempt to remove incriminating dna evidence.) On O'Reilly last night, Geraldo stated that the suspect was probably a male Facebook.com. "friend." Of course, he has also conjectured that Al Capone's vault held newsworthy contents.

Alien Quack?

Has Marie Travers, assistant manager of the International Bird Rescue Research Center (hereafter I.B.R.R.C.) in Cordelia, CA, discovered an alien? After x-raying a rescued duck with a broken wing, she was shocked when she examined the radiograph to see what appears to be the clear visage of an ET. Unfortunately, the duck died subsequent to its examination. Karen Benzel, the p.r. director for I.B.R.R.C., said that the results of the autopsy are still pending. The center is offering the original x-ray with a certificate of authenticity on eBay in an auction that begins on June 4, 2006 (this Sunday).

Cf. http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060601185009990001&ncid=NWS00010000000001 for the article and photo.

Anchors Away

How many of you care that Katie Couric has ended her reign as the perky princess of the Today show and is in route to be the voice from above the glass ceiling at CBS? Once America was riveted when an anchor passed his mantle a la Cronkite. And we, as a nation, actually stopped what we were doing and sat in front of the television to hear the nightly news. As the NYT gave us all the news that was fit to print, Cronkite told us the way it was that day. All was well with the world, Beaver was a lad who exemplified Everyboy who lived in a nuclear family, and we liked Ike. Now the world is confusing like a pastoral parishioner who no longer has the patriarchal priest to read the text, explain its meaning, and tell him how to act in accordance therewith. I'm Rather sad.

Halle Berry Bounds to Please

Oscar winner Halle Berry, that comely cafe au lait honey, showed once again why she is so much loved and adored by her fans, especially, her besmitten swains. Yesterday morning on Fox & Friends, Halle disdained the grand dames of cine who dare not condescend to fun and frolic in the public eye. Even though she had a broken toe and was sporting four-inch heels, she cheerfully cartwheeled on request showing that her claim to doing all of her stunts in X-men 3 was no empty boast. Superbly talented, friskily feminine, and absolutely gorgeous: a modern day Josephine Baker!