Wrong is Wrong, Except When It Isn't

Hello My Dear Friends. Here we go again. Let me start by saying that what LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling said was ignorant and wrong. No one is defending what he said. It was offensive. But, once again, we are witnessing the profound double standard that this Country has adopted. Sterling has been banned for life from the NBA. He can not associate with the team in any way. He can never attend another NBA game. The league says it will do everything in it's power to force Sterling to sell his team. He was also fined the maximum $2.5 million dollars. Wow. Sterling didn't make his remarks publicly. They weren't part of a speech or official statement. They were made, in private, in his own home, to his then "girlfriend". Double standard? You be the judge.
Speaking before a panel at Howard University Law School, which was broadcast live on C-Span, Professor Kamau Kambon said, "We have to exterminate white people of the face of the planet". There were no repercussions. Paula Deen admitted to using the "n-word" decades before. She was stripped of everything. During an interview with Bill O'Reilly, author and radio personality Quannel X said, "I say in the words of Malcolm X, if you find any good white people, kill them now before they turn bad". There were no repercussions. Let's take a look a the political landscape, shall we? Democrat Chris Dodd praised fellow democrat Robert Byrd, a former Klansman, saying he "would have been a great Senator at any moment in time". Including, I suppose, when he was running around Virginia in a white hood. Dodd later apologized for his "poor choice of words". All was forgiven. Republican Trent Lott was praising fellow republican Strom Thurmond, a former segregationist, saying if he had been elected President, America wouldn't have "all these problems". He later apologized repeatedly. He was forced to resign. I could go on and on but I think you get my point. It's not so much what you say, it's who says what.  So, Donald Sterling's words will cost him dearly. Or, as Snoop Dogg so elegantly referred to him yesterday, "That F**king, white bread, redneck piece of sh*t". Again, I guess it's who says what.
Po

We Need a Vaccination for Stupidity

Hello My Dear Friends. Well, have you heard that Measles is making a comeback in the United States. As a matter of fact, Measles outbreaks are at a 20 year high. Why? There are several reasons, but number one among them is that many parents are refusing to have their children vaccinated. They've been led to believe that the vaccinations themselves are dangerous. In spite of overwhelming medical evidence that these vaccinations are safe and necessary, some people choose instead to listen to celebrities like Jenny McCarthy who blames a vaccination for her son's autism. I'm sure her well publicized drug abuse in the 90's had nothing to do with it. This concerns me. Not just because I, personally, have never had Measles and would prefer you not let your infectious little off spring wander about. I'm concerned that you've chosen to take medical advice from a B-List, former Playboy model with no more than a high school education. Her background doesn't really scream "sound medical advice". Why do humans automatically attach credibility to celebrity? In spite of what many celebrities seem to believe, fame does not give you wisdom. Quite the opposite. During her short lived reality show, Jessica Simpson was shocked to find out that "Chicken of the Sea" was actually tuna. She thought she was eating chicken. Now she's on national television giving dieting advice. Really? I guess your first tip should be to know the difference between seafood and poultry, right? Don't even get me started on celebrities and politics. My point is, these people probably don't know any more than you do so why would you give weight to anything they have to say? Ms. McCarthy now says she was misunderstood all these years. She says she was never anti vaccination, she has always been pro vaccination, she just wanted a search for alternatives. So, now Jenny has The View and we have a Measles outbreak. Doesn't really seem fair, does it?
Po

Random Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends! Well, it's Friday and there's no snow in the forecast. I'd say we're off to a great start on the weekend. So, you may have heard that NY Yankee's pitcher Michael Pineda has been suspended for using pine tar. It's illegal, even though everyone does it. It's the second time he's been caught. Pineda, who is from the Dominican Republic, was told he could not go out on to the mound with pine tar on his hand so he smeared it on his neck. Pineda says he misunderstood the rule. He was suspended for 10 games; one for the pine tar and 9 for being an utter moron. Ronald McDonald got a makeover and it caused a social media storm.  Why? Because people have way too much time on their hands. That's why. McDonald's wanted to make Ronald more hip. Unfortunately, with cropped pants, a sports coat and untucked shirt, McDonald's missed "hip" by about a decade. Football players at Northwestern University are voting today on whether or not to unionize. They think, because universities make so much money off football, they should be paid to play. Well boys, guess what, tuition for a full time student at Northwestern is $65,554 a year. You are being paid! Playing football affords you a top notch education, books, tutoring, room and board,  free of charge. Other students pay for that. If you actually took advantage of the education part, you'd already know this. Finally, a zebra and a donkey successfully reproduced in Mexico. I'm serious. They're calling it a "Zonkey"

Awesome, right! I don't know what kind of self esteem issues it's going to cause later in life. Donkeys can be so cruel. Anyway, it got me to thinking, what would you get if you bred a donkey and a sloth? Oh, that's right, a congressman. Enjoy the weekend!
Po

And So It Goes

Hello My Dear Friends! To be honest, after the captor's Mom passed away last week, I didn't know when I would be up to doing this again. Well, leave it to the government to get me too fired up to remain quiet! Let's start with our beloved IRS. Amid scandals of abusing their power to block conservative groups from gaining non-profit status and of hijacking millions of dollars in tax refunds from unsuspecting Americans, we now learn this! Between October 2010 and December 2012 over 2800 IRS employees, who had been disciplined for conduct problems, including but not limited to NOT PAYING THEIR TAXES, were awarded over $2.8 million in BONUSES and over 27,000 hours in bonus time off! That's right. IRS workers who failed to pay their own taxes were rewarded with your tax dollars! It boggles the mind. Of those "problem" employees, 1,100 of them split more than one million dollars and 10,000 hours in time-off awards. It gets better. In 2011, 70,000 IRS employees got cash bonuses totaling more than $92 million. In 2012, 68,000 IRS workers split more than $86 million. A 1998 law states that IRS employees who willfully fail to pay their taxes shall be removed from their positions. Instead, they're being rewarded with bonuses and added vacation time! Nice work if you can get it! Next, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change says that Biofuels made from leftovers from harvested corn plants, in the short term, are actually worse for the environment than gasoline! The study concluded that Biofuels made with corn residue produce 7% more greenhouse gases than conventional gasoline. The White House says that isn't true. They say it's "flawed science" and that the study is wrong. So, who paid for this flawed study? Yup. You guessed it. The Federal Government. LOL! They just can't seem to get out of their own way.
Po

You Can Count On It!

Hello My Dear Friends! Back in the day, people used to say that the only guarantees in life were death and taxes. Today, even death can't free you from taxes! I'm sure you've heard the stories of the IRS snagging people's tax returns to cover decades old debts incurred by their loved ones. One woman lost her return because "someone in her family" was overpaid a death benefit over 35 years ago. She was five at the time. The government couldn't tell her which one of her family members received the over-payment but, since she was the oldest, it was her problem. LOL! The debt was about $2500. Her return was over $4200 but they kept the whole thing because they could. The kicker is, she's a government employee! I don't know why anyone is surprised. Wait until next year when the IRS is charged with making sure everyone has health insurance in compliance with the new law. It will be a free-for-all. No one will get a return! My point here is that there are far more things in life that are guaranteed beside death and taxes. Take, for instance, abuse of power. I can guarantee you right now that the IRS will fully abuse their new power. Why? Because they can. Here's another guarantee for you. If Vice President Joe Biden is giving a speech, he will say something stupid. Today, while speaking at the commemoration ceremony of the Boston Marathon Bombing, the Veep said that the ceremony 'was so beautiful that the bombing was almost worth it.' Oh, yes he did! He also said, "I don't like Boston (referring to the Red Sox) but I love you guys"! Oh, Joe, for the love of God, stick to the printed speech! Finally, I can guarantee you that, where ever there is news, there will be a conspiracy theory to go along with it. In the past week alone I read that the missing Malaysian Airplane is being hidden by the Malaysian government so they can sell it to al Qaeda. I read that the US is covertly orchestrating the latest uprising in Ukraine and that the Hillary Clinton shoe throwing incident was actually staged by her people to get press coverage. Wow. Let's not forget that evil forces are also manipulating the weather to collapse our fragile economy! I really like that last one. It would explain a lot. You know, when I was a kitten we didn't have a polar vortex. We just had snow in April and, sometimes, in May. But, now that it has a name, there must be evil forces behind it! Stay warm friends. Spring will be back on Thursday.
Po

Random Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends! I've thrown up this old picture in honor of National Siblings Day. The funny thing is, my sis Biz and I are not blood. We were both kidnapped from different mothers by the same captors who hold us today. We sure were cute though! Anyway, yesterday a woman hurled a shoe at Hillary Clinton. Did you see the video? Hysterical! Even funnier was Clinton's response. She said "I'm sure glad she didn't play softball like I did". Yup. When I think of Hillary the first thing that comes to mind is athlete. Did you ever look at an orange and wonder what came first, the color or the fruit? A group of miscreants in San Francisco are tipping smart cars on their tails. Police say they don't know the motive. I do...

It's funny as hell! That's why. Now, I am NOT condoning this behavior. It's illegal and dangerous. It's also, as I mentioned, funny as hell! Besides, it's a smart car. It'll figure it out. Did you see HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius give her resignation speech? She was half way through her farewell address when she realized the next page was missing. LOL! She can't even get that right. I guess she's not a real stickler for details. Oh, wait, we already knew that, didn't we? Did you see the Rolling Stone cover with Julia Louis-Dreyfus? She has the U.S. Constitution inked on her back and it's signed by John Hancock. I would say "how sad" if it weren't for the clever spin of the magazine. They say they did it on purpose "in the spirit of Veep's absurdist nature". Sure you did. After all, it's much better to be absurd than uneducated. Enjoy the Weekend!
Po

Heroes and Demons

Hello My Dear Friends. Sometimes it feels like this world we live in has become very a scary place. Today, I looked at the face of a 16 year old boy, Alex Hribal, and wondered how he could walk into his high school and stab or slash over 20 people. I wondered how many other people would have been hurt or killed if assistant principal Sam King hadn't tackled him. Heroes and demons. Last Wednesday, 54-year old Steven Utash was driving down a street in Detroit when a 10 year old boy ran out in front of his truck. He couldn't stop in time and he hit the boy. As he got out of his truck to go help the boy, a gang of about a dozen thugs attacked him. He was beaten nearly to death. He's in a coma. Retired nurse Deborah Huges saw the whole thing. She first ran to the boy. He had suffered only minor injuries. Then, when she saw the thugs attacking Mr. Utash, she ran over and pushed through the crowd, which had grown to several dozen, screamed for them to stop and got down on the ground with the man to protect him. She saved his life. Heroes and demons. On April 2nd, 3 American soldiers were killed by another at Fort Hood. 16 others were wounded. In the midst of the chaos, 39 year old Sgt. First Class Daniel Ferguson used his body to hold a door shut and keep the gunman out. He gave his life to save dozens of others. 37 year old Sgt. Timothy Owens gave his life walking toward the gunman, trying to calm him down and stop the carnage. Heroes and demons. It's as old as life itself. Ever since the archangel Michael defeated the dragon heroes have stood up to demons. You really can't have one without the other. The funny thing about it is, you never really know who the heroes and demons are. Look around you. You could be sitting next to a hero right now. You could be one yourself. You never really know how will you react if confronted by a demon. I would like to think that I would act heroically, but who knows. Hopefully, I will never have to find out. I am in awe of those who instinctively move to protect others without regard to their own safety. A high school assistant principal, a retired nurse or a soldier. During every tragedy, heroes emerge to face the demons. They walk among us every day. Average Americans; regular people who, when face to face with a demon, find the strength to look them in the eye and kick their demon ass. It's these people who keep my faith in the goodness of man alive. The word "Hero" gets thrown around a lot these days. Probably because, in the face of so much ugliness, we are in dire need of heroes. The good news is, there are heroes all around us. We just don't know who they are yet.
Po

You're Kidding, Right?

Hello My Dear Friends! Every now and then someone says something that actually makes me laugh out loud. Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) has the distinction of giving me the biggest laugh of the month! The Congressman said, and I quote, "I think that the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid. I understand that it is widely felt that [members] under perform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world and a lot of members can't even afford to live decently when they are at their job in Washington". I know, right! I'm still laughing my fur off! In case you don't know, U.S. Congressman earn $174,000 a year. They are in session less than 150 days each year. That's over $1100 a DAY! Underpaid? LOL! There are 435 Congressman in America. According to their publicly filed income reports, 241 of them are millionaires. That's 40%. Out of 100 U.S. Senators, 67 are millionaires. That's 67%. I'm not even adding in their perks, benefits and retirement plan! Rep. Moran went on to say that higher pay would decrease the temptation to accept "gifts" from lobbyists. This reminds me of an old W.C. Fields joke where he walks up to a woman and says "would you sleep with me for a million dollars"? The woman says yes so W.C. says "would you sleep with me for ten dollars"? The woman says, "No! What kind of woman do you think I am"? To which W.C. responds, "We've already established that. Now we're negotiating price". My point is, lack of character is lack of character. The cost of your soul is irrelevant. The fact that you're willing to sell it tells us all we need to know. So, Congressman Moran (who was born in Buffalo) you are NOT underpaid. You're an arrogant, elitist jerk who thinks "public service" is the road to riches. This Country is sinking. Stop rearranging the deck chairs!
Po

Random Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends! We've made it through another week of madness. I, for one, say bring on the weekend! This week President Obama held a press conference to tout the success of Obamacare. In doing so he said, "We didn't make a hard sell. We didn't have billions of dollars to spend on commercials like our critics did". Whaaaaat? LOL! The delusion continues. We learned this week that, in 2010, the US Agency for International Development, which oversees billions of dollars in US humanitarian aid, secretly created the "Cuban Twitter" in an attempt to undermine Cuba's communist government. I know, right? They just make this too easy for me. So, you can put together a team to build  an entire covert social network but you can't get One Freaking Healthcare Website to work after spending a Billion Dollars! That's leadership, people, that's leadership! Indiana Senator Dan Coats (R) went to his Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing yesterday armed with dozens of questions for the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (yes, that's an actual title). He took his seat and waited over an hour for his turn to speak. When his turn arrived, he asked his first question. Unfortunately for the Senator, he was questioning the Department of the Treasury Under Secretary. Senator Coats was in the wrong room. An aide handed him a note alerting him to the error since it was apparent that the senator had no clue. In his defense, the Senator explained that he "saw some familiar faces" and thought that was where he was supposed to be. Um, there's only 100 Senators. I would hope you'd see familiar faces everywhere you go Mr. Coats. Perhaps a visit to Lumosity.com would help. Finally, what is up with the "Beggin Party Popper" dog treats? Have you seen them? Have we really become so lazy that we're will to pay extra to avoid tossing a dog treat? It's a dog treat, people. If you're too lazy to toss it, just drop it on the floor. Dog don't care! Where will it end people? Enjoy the weekend!
Po

Opening Day. Play Dad!

Hello My Dear Friends! Baseball season is underway and, already, we have our first big controversy of the season! NY Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy missed two games this week. Why? To be with his wife for the birth of his first child! The nerve of that man. Murphy was soundly criticized for his decision to use the paternity leave granted as part of baseball's collective bargaining agreement. Mike Francesa, radio/TV talkshow host said, "What are you going to do? I mean you are going to sit there and look at your wife in a hospital bed for two days?" Um, no Mike. He's going to bond with his newborn baby. It's called being a FATHER. Francesa, by the way, is working on his 2nd marriage. This wife is 25. Francesa is 60. Enough said? Then there's Norman "Boomer" Esiason. He said, "Quite frankly I would've said 'C-section before the season starts. I need to be at opening day". No Boomer. You don't insist on unnecessary major surgery so you can play ball. That's called being a MAN. I am in awe of how ridiculous some people can be. To publicly criticize a man for wanting to be with his wife during the birth of their first child boggles the mind. He's a baseball player, not a neurosurgeon! Yes, the Mets lost both games. Big deal. They managed to lose 88 games last season with Murphy on the field. Maybe Esiason is still suffering from the concussion that Bruce Smith laid on him in 1995. How many games did you miss Norman? Oh, that's right 5. You missed one third of the season with a headache. Did anyone call you a sissy? Oh, that's right. Did anyone beside me call you a sissy? A crybaby? A wimp? Yet you have the nerve to say you would order your wife to have major surgery so you wouldn't miss a game? That tells us all we need to know about you, doesn't it. I say three cheers for Mr. Murphy for putting his family ahead of his job. Your new son, Noah, is lucky to have a Dad like you!
Po

Still Venting; Deal With It

Hello My Dear Friends! Today is April Fools Day but you probably won't be seeing any elaborate pranks. Why? Because America has lost it's collective sense of humor. Anything you do or say today will get you fired or sued so, what's the point. April 1st is just another day. Sorry Fools, you've lost your special day. All is not lost though. You still have Election Day. Speaking of America's collective humor, let's discuss Stephen Colbert. Have you been following his Twitter troubles? Comedy Central tweeted out a joke Colbert made on his show. They tweeted it out of context, without any explanation, background or video. It appeared to be an incredibly racist statement and the Twittersphere went wild. the hashtag #CancelColbert, of course, went viral. Just to bring you up to speed, The Colbert Report is a comedy. It's a parody and Mr. Colbert is a comedian. "The Colbert Report's" Twitter account quoted a joke from a segment on Wednesday's episode of the show that mocked Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder for setting up a charity to aid Native Americans in lieu of changing his team's name. In the original bit, Colbert said he was inspired by Snyder to start his own charity, called "The Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever." (Ching-Chong Ding-Dong is the name of an over the top, stereotypical Asian character occasionally played by Colbert on the show.) The tweet only included the name of the "charity" without explanation. You can see why it raised some eyebrows. After the explanation and obligatory apologies, the Twitter account was taken down. You'd think that would be the end of it, right? Hardly. Once the "racist" label is applied it's very difficult to scrape off. I watch the Colbert Report. It's a very funny show. Stephen Colbert is not a racist. It's not like he went out in blackface to promote his new album Black People Party Music! (If you don't get that joke, google Nick Cannon album release). In the words of Mr. Cannon "There's a big difference between hatred and humor". We, as a nation, really need to get over ourselves. Author William Arthur Ward said, "To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity". So my friends, if you can't laugh at yourself, rest assured, I will do it for you!
Po