- Way to voice - check that, way to shoot - your displeasure with those responsible for passing the new health care legislation in Congress this past weekend. While normally people are advised to call their congressional representative if they want to voice opposition to a proposed bill, it’s nice to see some angry citizen go the extra mile and commit a felony in support of his or her cause. That felony would be firing a bullet through the Richmond, Va. district office window of Rep. Eric Cantor, the number two Republican in the House of Representatives. Cantor said Thursday that a bullet had been shot through a window at his office and that he had received threatening messages. Cantor also had a little something for Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine and Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, accusing them of "fanning the flames" of violence by using threats that have been made against Democratic members "as political weapons." "Legitimate threats should be treated as security issues, and they should be dealt with by the appropriate law enforcement officials," Cantor said. "It is reckless to use these incidents as media vehicles for political gain. ... Enough is enough. It has to stop." Receiving threats is nothing new for Cantor, who is Jewish. He claims to have received numerous threats throughout his career because of his religion, but having someone fire a bullet through his office window back in his home district is something else entirely. Worse still, he isn’t alone when it comes to angry citizens unleashing violence and intimidation in response to the passage of the health car bill. More than 10 Democrats have reported trouble since the weekend health care vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, said on Wednesday. Windows have been smashed at Democratic offices in at three states and the gas line at the home of a Virginia congressman's brother was cut not long after the vote. Democratic leaders have asked that Republicans join them in condemning the violence, but so far, Republicans have been slow to do so. Perhaps the attack on Cantor’s hometown office will change their minds, but knowing Republicans, probably not………..
- Finally, the end is in sight. Freaking five or six seasons after it should have died a quick, necessary reality television death, MTV's reality series The Hills will finally end after this season. "I think we've told the story of struggle and of finding yourself in L.A.," creator Adam DiVello said in an interview. "A lot of these kids have found themselves and have certainly embarked on different careers and different paths." If by “found themselves,” you mean they have gotten the mistaken idea that they are actual celebrities, that they have something valuable to offer the world and that they are anything other than vapid, shallow SoCal rich kids who had the undeserved chance to be on television for six seasons, then yes, I agree. The show began as a spin-off of Laguna Beach, another MTV reality series about rich kids living in a cushy beachside community and pretending that their lives were so tough and so stressful. One of the cast members from LB’s first couple seasons, Lauren Conrad, moved to the Hollywood hills after leaving Laguna and MTV followed her, thus giving birth to The Hills. Conrad stuck with the new show for five seasons before leaving and the show’s producers brought in another Laguna Beach cast member, Kristin Cavallari, to fill the drama void. Whether ratings for that experiment were bad or MTV execs think they have a great new idea for a show on tap, the end has now come for this lame-fest. It has spawned the ultimate “we’re famous for no reason and contribute nothing to the world” couple in Heidi and Spencer Pratt, it has given vapid, ditzy airheads like Audrina Patridge air time and it has killed a little part of my soul any time I watched more than half a second of it flipping through the channels when it was on. The final season, consisting of 12 episodes, will premiere Tuesday, April 27 at 10/9c and reportedly focus on Cavallari's possible drug abuse, Heidi Montag's plastic surgery, Partridge's dating life and a possible return for Conrad. OMG, I can hardly wait! Check that, yes I can. You’ll have to excuse me not giving a crap, but I’ll be busy those 12 nights with more important things, like checking for loose change behind my couch cushions…………
- Say goodbye to Whoppers, Dairy Queen ice cream and the latest movies, U.S. military personnel serving Afghanistan. Troops fighting the war on terror have been able to do so with the benefit of these comforts from back home despite being in the middle of a mountainous, desert-ridden country for the past few years, but no more. Those luxuries will soon be gone, according to a blog posting by morale, welfare and recreation command Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Hall. The military wants to rip the cushy, fun perks and put more focus on fighting the Taliban, by cutting back on “non-essentials” in Afghanistan. Hall made the announcement on the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan blog this week and the changes will soon take effect at U.S. facilities such as the Kandahar and Bagram air bases. The Burger King, Dairy Queen, Orange Julius and Pizza Hut restaurants on those bases will close and the movie theaters on the bases will drop first-run movies. Additionally, the bases will slash the amount of canned and bottled imported from the States, Hall writes. “This is a warzone – not an amusement park,” he writes. “Supplying nonessential luxuries to big bases like Bagram and Kandahar makes it harder to get essential items to combat outposts and forward operating bases, where troops who are in the fight each day need resupplied with ammunition, food and water.” Jeez man, what is this, the freaking army? Lighten up, bro. You think that providing basic supplies to troops on outlying bases and command posts is more important than providing Whopper Jr.’s, Oreo Blizzards and a chance to see Shutter Island for troops back on the main base? Hall says eliminating the restaurants and other facilities will free up space to accommodate more than 35,000 troops who will be arriving in Afghanistan in the months ahead. While the cuts may be painful for some, Hall says the military plans to add a few things as well: improved fitness centers, as well as upgraded Internet and telephone capabilities. So reaching home and staying fit will be easier, while getting unhealthy fast food and sitting on your butt watching movies won't be quite as easy. Sacrifices, sacrifices…………
- At least Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley doesn’t have delusions of grandeur or anything. Bradley, the volatile player that many around baseball label as the guy who resides in a corner where angry meets trouble, has an interesting theory about why he has played for eight different teams during his 11-year major-league career. "If I was a musician, I'd be Kanye West. If I was in the NBA, I'd be Ron Artest," said the former Expo, Indian, Dodger, Athletic, Padre, Ranger and Cub. "In baseball, they've got Milton Bradley. I'm that guy. You need people like me, so you can point your finger and go, 'There goes the bad guy." Hey Milton, have you looked at your career at all? Would you consider someone who once confronted the wrong fan for throwing a plastic bottle onto the field by taking said plastic bottle and slamming it down at the feet of the fan he thought was responsible the action of a good guy? How about having to be restrained from charging from the dugout to the press box during a game to confront a broadcaster because he dared to say something critical of you? Is that something a good guy would do? How’s about stopping your car on the highway and getting out to insert yourself in the middle of someone else’s traffic stop in order to get into it with a police officer? Would that be representative of being a good guy? My man, those are all things you have done. When you have immense, all-star-quality talent and seven different teams have passed on you, maybe the problem is with you, not them. Last season is a prime example of Bradley’s problems, as he played for the Cubs after inking a $30 million, three-year contract and contributed a robust .257 batting average with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 124 games. He failed to finish out the season after the Cubs suspending Bradley for getting into a verbal altercation with their hitting coach. And if you think that the quick hook in Chicago might have finally gotten through to Bradley and convinced him to change his ways, you would be wrong. He was ejected twice in the span of three Mariners spring games last week. The Mariners are hoping that respected veteran outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will be a calming influence on Bradley this season, but I wouldn’t count on it. Manager Don Wakamatsu says Bradley will be Seattle's everyday left fielder and hopes for big things from him, but it’s only a matter of time before Donny W. learns what every other manager who has had the misfortune of having Bradley on their team has learned. I wish you lots of success in dealing with that train-wreck-in-the-making this season, Don, and look forward to the experiment’s inevitable demise toward the end of the year…………
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