BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Madonna compares Bush to Saddam

BBC: Madonna compares Bush to Saddam
:

"Madonna wants to be 'part of the order, not the chaos' of the world
Madonna has said US President George Bush and ex-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein are alike because 'they are both behaving in an irresponsible manner'. "

I'm sorry, umm, remind me again why I'm supposed to care about Madonna's expert opinion?........

I hate scorpions.

Ugh. I just came in from outside where I watched two HUGE scorpions climbing all over the outside of my house. Our house is all cedar, so I guess they like the wood. They are nasty creatures.... one of them had the stinger of another scorpion in its claws and was eating it. Beasts! They are surely inhabited by satan himself.

David's at camp this week... it was a last minute thing and we scrambled last night (after a very busy weekend) to get him ready. He's with 30 kids ages 9-13 at a sports camp and I'm sure he's going to be all worn out by the end of the week. He was fortunate enough to get his own room, though, so at least he won't be up all night trying to get the little buggers to sleep.

So Punky and I are on our own this week. We went shopping this evening because Punky was down to nothing clothes-wise. I love Old Navy. They were having a giant sale and I got Punky 8 shirts and a pair of pants for $60. He's going to be stylin' -- they're all little surfer boy clothes. Very cute.

Very tired. Must....sleep.... more tomorrow........

Patriotism and the Gipper

I missed most of Reagan's funeral yesterday because I had to work. I listened to some of it as Glenn Beck did a live commentary during the preliminary ceremonies and watched a bit of the recap on Charlie Rose last night.

I loved the thought that for one day, Democrats and Republicans were able to put aside their differences to pay tribute to this great American. Despite the complaints from a few crybaby liberals early in the week about how egotistical the Reagan family was for wanting a full State ceremony, for the most part the country did a great job honoring Reagan's life and legacy. He was indeed a great statesman, but more than that, Reagan imparted a sense of ownership and responsibility to us, the real America, the Average Joe. He made it clear that it was up to us to make America great, not Congress, nor politicians, nor himself. It was his belief in us that gave America our sense of pride, and his optimism became ours, and for that he will be remembered. And for those brats who just had to complain about the pomp and circumstance, I have to ask: where are we as a country if we have absolutely no traditions left to remind us of who we are? Whether you agree with Reagan's politics or not, we still need times of national mourning and celebration to serve as a touchstone... to remind us of our heritage, our identity, our freedom, and all the things that make this country great. And I would say the very same thing if it were Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter we were burying.

What really makes the liberals look bad are the embittered, angry, hateful folks that seem to be growing in number: Morrissey proclaiming onstage in Dublin that he wished it were Bush who had died; people like this who say that our loss is "hell's great gain," cartoonist Ted Rall's remarks about Reagan "turning crispy brown [in hell] about right now," a select few in a Prairie Home Companion live broadcast who actually applauded at the news of his passing... you people disgust me. You are the reason why I choose to not vote alongside you. Your platform is hate, yet you preach tolerance (as long as I agree with everything you say. When I don't, when I express my personal beliefs, I am a close-minded bigot). Tell me what's tolerant and peace-loving about reveling in someone's demise, and in his family's pain? Because that absolutely contradicts all your anti-war, anti-hate, pro-tolerance crap that you say you stand for. Tell me why you say that we need to stop the inhumanity of this war, stop the senseless killing, yet you carry around hatred and murder in your own hearts? How is that consistent? Michael Moore's entire career is based on hatred and division. Nick Berg's "dovelike" father has done nothing but spew hatred at Bush and use his son's death as a platform to promote his own socialist agenda. The absolute contradictions astound me. If you're going to stand up for something, you have to walk it out in your life. I would have much more respect for the liberal platform if there was actually some consistency and some integrity behind the words. I don't agree with you, but I don't walk around spewing hatred and wishing death on those I don't agree with.

I'm going to close with the ever-eloquent words of our good friend Dony Wynn, whose views I respect for their balance and logic:

"A Long Ride Into the Sunset

This week, ex-president Ronald Reagan passed from this world. Even though political discussion and contemplation dares not enter into my everyday, I will admit, I can vividly recall when he was president. I remember that as an American the U.S. of A. felt good when he was at the helm, and one felt a twinge
of pride to be known as an American when traveling abroad, too. Our country was alive and thriving. Vitality was running amok. The positive spirit he instilled worldwide was contagious. Rampant.
I don’t feel that way now. We’ve got someone else at the helm who’s recklessly traded our dignity and respect for personal gain and selfish redemption, leaving us vulnerable to serious retribution on the international stage
meanwhile. Playground bully by any other name. Sorry, I digress...
This week.
This week, my forty-eighth birthday will occur. There will be little fanfare, if anything. I prefer it that way.
There is much fanfare for our fallen president. Deservedly so.
A Native American warrior chief once said, “What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the
sunset.”
President Reagan lived his. I’m living mine. Our precepts similar, our platforms vastly different. When my time comes, I will sing my death song and die like a conquering hero returning home. Just as he did, I’m sure.

There will never be another week like this one. He’s gone now and I live on, carrying the torch of goodness and service for my fellow man, best I can, as did he.
Our work here on Earth is never done. God willing, I’ll do my utmost. And if I should be so fortunate, I’ll win yet another one for the gipper. Like he would’ve wanted.
God bless you and keep you, Ronnie. You left the world a better place. A simple virtue to which we all should aspire."

St. Louis-Area Lake Vanishes Over Days

AP:

"WILDWOOD, Mo. - To folks around Wildwood, it is nothing but freaky: an entire 23-acre lake vanished in a matter of days, as if someone pulled the plug on a bathtub.
Lake Chesterfield went down a sinkhole this week, leaving homeowners in this affluent St. Louis suburb wondering if their property values disappeared along with their lakeside views.
'It's real creepy,' said Donna Ripp, who lives near what had been Lake Chesterfield. 'That lake was 23 acres - no small lake. And to wake up one morning, drive by and it's gone?'
What once was an oasis for waterfowl and sailboats was nothing but a muddy, crackled pit outlined by rotting fish.
The sight had 74-year-old George English scratching his head.
'It's disheartening, getting out on your deck and seeing this,' he said as he stood next to wife, Betty, and the 'lakeside' condominium they bought in 1996 for its view. 'One day it's a beautiful lake and now, bingo, it's gone.'
Some residents said they noticed that the lake, after being swelled by torrential rains weeks earlier, began falling last weekend. The Englishes said they noticed the drop-off Monday.
By Wednesday, the manmade lake - normally seven to 10 feet deep in spots - had been reduced to a mucky, stinky mess.

David Taylor, a geologist who inspected the lakebed Wednesday, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the sinkhole was formed when water eroded the limestone deep underground and created pockets in the rock. The sinkhole was 'like a ticking time bomb.'
The lake and surrounding housing development date to the late 1980s. The development now includes more than 670 condominiums and houses, about one-tenth of them bordering the lake.
Because the lake is private property, the subdivision's residents will have to cover the cost of fixing it, probably through special property assessments. George English expects it to cost $1,000 a household.

It is a price English said he is willing to pay. He just wants the unsightly pit gone, either by refilling it with water or dumping enormous amounts of dirt into it to create green space or usable land.

"I think it'll come back again," he said. "You have to hope they can fix it."

Awwwwwww.....

They really do go in threes, don't they?

Ray Charles is gone. Wow. And I'm really kicking myself for not seeing him out at Floores Country Store a few years ago. I remember saying to myself at the time, "I need to go see him just to say I did before he dies..." Waaaaah.

Thanks to AlphaPatriot for this:

"Talk about coincidence, here's a bit of trivia you won't read in the mainstream press:

Charles performed at Republican national conventions during Ronald Reagan's years as the party's leader."

From BBC NEWS | Singer snubs Lopez wedding query:

Anthony reportedly married Lopez in a ceremony at the actress's Beverly Hills home on Saturday.

But Anthony refused to confirm the reports during an appearance on NBC's Today show on Tuesday, saying his personal life was off-limits.

I couldn't care less about Marc Anthony or J-Lo, but I did happen to have the Today Show on this morning and saw this ridiculous exchange between Matt Lauer and Anthony.

And I walked away thinking, "Who do these morons think they are?" Do they honestly think that I care whether or not he and J-Lo tied the knot? And that they are so dang important that us "commoners" don't deserve to know? Because their personal life is so sacred? Dude, just say "yes" or "no" and quit acting like a pompous idiot who is too high up the food chain to act like a human being. As if Marc Anthony is anything to write home about (well, I'm writing about him, but it's out of disgust). We're all going to find out eventually that you're married, so let's just all quit with the poser Hollywood thing and move on.

Well, maybe it's all about perception. Maybe if I start walking around and acting like I'm a big-shot star and, "Oh, I've really got to protect my privacy... these media types are just destroying my life..." then maybe people will believe that I'm actually very cool and important. I had a random guy walk up to me yesterday at Fire Wok and tell me that he likes our music -- I thought it was cool to actually get recognized! -- but maybe I should have screamed at him and thrown my Tofu Stir-Fry with ginger-curry sauce on him and told him to leave me alone. That's apparently how I'm supposed to act, if I follow Marc Anthony's lead. Then I'll be cool.

Culture: Watched an intolerably long portion of 7th Heaven last night with Punky. That show, I think, is the worst show on TV right now. It is so poorly written, so spoon-fed, so predictable, so lame... and the mother and that whiney little brat of a daughter need to be hit. Oh, and the twins who always speak in tandem. Apparently the twins (who are like 4) are robots that cannot function apart from one another since one is always needed to finish the other's sentences. Why is this show on? Can you think of a worse way to spend an hour of TV viewing? Man, I need 24 in my life.........

Politik: In May, Kerry Said He Would Support $25 Billion In Emergency Funds For Our Troops. Kerry: ''I will support the Administration's request for emergency funds for our troops. The situation in Iraq has deteriorated far beyond what the Administration anticipated. This money is urgently needed, and it is completely focused on the needs of our troops. We must give our troops the equipment and support to carry out their missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.'' ('Statement from John Kerry on the Administration's Request for $25 Billion in Emergency Funding to Support the Troops,' U.S. Newswire, 5/13/04)

Well, Mr. Kerry, if the money is "urgently needed," why did you skip the vote last week? Good one.........

Weather: It's raining. Of course, we just watered our lawn for two days over the weekend because it was looking dry. Yes. I'm glad I'm going to have a higher water bill now. Yaaay.

Cuisine: Haven't had my coffee yet... but I'm going to go make it and some Spongebob Eggo Waffles. There are innumerable benefits to having a seven-year-old.....