Who cares

Rielle Hunter, the former mistress and current baby-mama to moral cripple John Edwards will be Oprah's guest next week. I would have thought that by now enough was said about the whole tawdry mess. But then, it is the beginning of the May sweeps.

Maybe Hunter and Edwards are planning June nuptials and think an appearance with Oprah will salvage what's left of Hunter's reputation as a videographer. I can't imagine that any of that matters now that Edwards' political career is dead. Who knows? But Hunter seems to be following in the stiletto heeled footsteps of other women who hope to parlay their misadventures into what passes these days for media celebrity.

Michelle "Bombshell" McGree, one of the many women with whom Jesse James dallied is on record as wanting a face-to-face with betrayed wife Sandra Bullock. Although Bombshell claims that want to apologize to Bullock, I bet her real agenda is to paint herself as the one who was betrayed by James and not Bullock who married that creep in the first place.

Once upon a time, being a mistress did not automatically catapult into national prominence--unless you were Wallis Simpson or Camilla Parker-Bowles. But Rachel Uchitel, the first of Tiger Woods' many lady friends, has gained a gig as a correspondent on Extra. But then, unlike Jaimee Grubbs, she didn't share the sordid details of her e-mails with the public.

These women gained their 15 minutes of fame by sleeping with another woman's husband and then claiming they were innocent victims duped by a lying, cheating, bastard. Well, Woods, Edwards and James may all be lying, cheating bastards, but I don't think their various paramours were innocent babes in the woods. Moreover, unlike the former Camilla Parker-Bowles, I doubt that their charming princes can offer them a title, other than round heels of the year.

Personal Responsibility

There was an interesting story this morning on the Web about a man whose jaw locked as he prepared to bite into a large sandwich and it stayed locked for 14 hours. The interesting part is his refusal to seek legal redress for his appetite for an overstuffed sandwich or the physical anomaly that caused his jaw to lock. His acceptance of personal responsibility is refreshing in our law-suit happy society.

Whenever you read a weird product warning you can be sure a weird lawsuit has been filed somewhere. You wonder who it was that attempted to iron an piece of apparel while they were wearing it? Or who was it that tried to drive a car with a cardboard windshield screen in place?

Sometimes products are defective or food is improperly prepared and a person does not receive the appropriate attention from the manufacturer that the negative results warrant. But it seems to me that most people look at the law courts as a response to a problem that has occurred because of something they did or did not do. In my mind this extends to the issues of overeating and smoking, both of which are issues of personal choice. If I smoke for 40 years, I shouldn't be surprised if I develop a smoking related disease and then go to court claiming I was unaware of the ill-effects of smoking so give me money. Smoking was linked to cancer way back in the 1930s but was certainly in the public domain in the 1950s when my dad, who started smoking at age 14, stopped. There's the difference. When we know something is bad and we do it anyway, who should be held accountable?

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods continues his apology tour but I wonder if he has really accepted that his actions is what caused the problem in the first place. On the other hand California lawyer Gloria Allred is representing one of the mistresses who believed she is owed an apology for having entered into a relationship with a man she knew was married.

Maybe Shakespeare had a point when he had one of the character's in Henry V say, "The first thing we do is kill all the lawyers." Well, maybe not ALL the lawyers, just the personal injury attorneys who have turned the legal system into a lotto for the seriously irresponsible.

Sieg heil,comrad

Yesterday, our quiet Midwestern suburb was visited by three men and a sign. The sign, held by a tall African-American with a football players build, was a picture of President Obama on which was drawn Hitler's mustache. The two White men assured me that Obama was a socialist just like Adolph. There's not much I can do, or want to do, to deny anyone their right to free speech, even if, as is the case with this trio, they are woefully undereducated and clearly into scare tactics.

Adolph Hitler has been dead for 64 years, or officially dead if you discount the numerous theories that he survived and lived in obscurity in Argentina. Still, the very sight of his Charlie Chaplin mustache is enough to conjure images of terror, war, genocide and the loss of civil liberties, the hallmarks of German fascism. You cannot be both Fascist and Communist or Socialist at the same time. "But, but, but," interjected the older of the White protestors, "It was called the National Socialist German Workers Party." Yeah, well, it could also have been called The Official Shirley Temple Fan Club and it would still be fascist and still diametrically opposed to socialism. And I am not defending socialism here, I just wish people knew the difference or at least respected the difference.

The difference made no difference to our friendly local tea baggers, for that is what they were, with sign up sheets, literature and smarmy smiles. I cannot believe that there is this much anger simply because our government passed a law that made it difficult for insurance companies to deny coverage to those who need it most. The economy tanked before Obama and while I do not agree with everything he has done and proposes at least he is doing something other than nationalizing the banks and establishing Socialism for the wealthy.

I just wish people were educated enough to know what they are talking about when they take to the streets and level insane charges against a man who clearly won the majority vote for the presidency.

Can't win an election with votes? Try intimidation!

Vandals broke windows in the offices of representatives who voted in favor of health care reform. Bart "baby killer" Stupak is receiving death threats on his home phone. The photographs of an Ohio Democratic lawmaker AND HIS DAUGHTERS was published in a newspaper along with an advertisement suggesting that the lawmaker rethink his position on health care. Mike Troxel, an organizer for the Lynchburg (VA) Tea Party posted what he believed to be the home address of Rep Tom Perriello (D-VA). Unfortunately, the address was that of Perriello's brother, which was subsequently vandalized. The address remains on the Tea Party Web site and will remain there until someone gives Troxel the representative's proper home address.

Of course Troxel will not be involved if and when the perpetrators are found. After all, he simply suggested that his followers drop by and express their thanks for Periello's pro- health care reform vote. Fortunately, no one was killed--this time

If we are to use the actions of the anti-abortion activists as an example, this is just an opening salvo that will probably end in blood shed. In 1993, Dr. David Gunn, Pensacola, FL, was the subject of wanted-posters distributed by Operation Rescue. He was murdered by anti-abortion activist Michael Griffin. A year later, two receptionists were killed by followers of Human Life International. The list goes on, but you get the point.

Last year, Catherina Wojtowicz, organizer of the Chicago Tea Party, openly mocked Dan and Midge Hough at a town hall meeting as they recounted the story of how their daughter, Jenny, and unborn child died because Jenny could not afforded pre-natal care. Wojtowicz claims the Hough's fabricated the story.

Tea Baggers are armed, dangerous and attempting the overthrow of the US Government through violence and terrorism. If this were the 1960s, the FBI would be all over them. The Tea Party movement emerged in early 2009 partly in response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act but their ire knew no bounds once the Republicans lost the presidency and control of the Congress. The consider themselves real Americans and the rest of us as Stalinist Liberals (although Stalin would be surprised and insulted to know that some one considered him a liberal). They claim to support the US Constitution but are dedicated to repealing those parts of the Constitution with which they do not agree.

They are out in force and in a neighborhood near you goaded in part by the Republican Party, still smarting from their election losses and out for blood. Where Homeland Security is when you need them?

What's interesting in that those who advocate violence are rarely those who actually do the violent act. They will never be held accountable. They will never be tried for the murder and mayhem they advocate. They are simply suggesting that protesters take aim at those legislators with whom they disagree, said Sarah Palin, who will be shocked and appalled when some Democratic legislator is carried on it a body bag.

On a lighter note, Rep. Randy Neugebauer claims he was misunderstood when he yelled "baby killer" as Rep. Bart Stupak spoke in favor of the health care bill. Neugebauer clarified the matter by explaining that he was calling the legislation a baby killer not Stupak, for whom Neugebauer has the highest regard. I'm glad that's been cleared up.