Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Polanski vs. Lowe



Scumbags. It doesn't matter what profession they have or how much money they have, they're all the same. Or are they?

Director Roman Polanski sits in a Swiss jail awaiting extradition to the U.S. to face charges of statutory rape stemming from the 1970's. The director of "Rosemary's Baby" and widower of Sharon Tate, who was killed by the Manson family, jumped bail 30 years ago and fled the country after pleading guilty to statutory rape of a then 13-year-old girl.

The girl gave testimony before a grand jury claiming that Polanski gave her champagne and a sedative before forcefully sodomizing her. Those charges were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea on the statutory rape charge. Fearing a harsh sentence from the judge, Roman skipped town and was just recently arrested in Switzerland.

The Hollywood elite has now come to the rescue of Roman Polanski, calling for the D.A.'s office to just look the other way. Actors from Harrison Ford and Debra Winger to directors with names like Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese have all signed a petition to release this pedophile. Whoopi Goldberg, liberal elite mushhead, even used her position as co-host of "The View" to poo poo the situation.

"I know it wasn't 'rape' rape. I think it was something else, but I don't believe it was 'rape' rape," said Goldberg.

What the hell does that mean? Define "'rape' rape" for me, Ms. Goldberg. I thought you feministas defined rape as anytime a man coerces a female into sex. This fits, does it not?

Now let's compare all this hoopla with a situation that actor Rob Lowe found himself in y
ears ago.

Lowe, a member of the 80's "Brat Pack" and one of the stars of "St. Elmo's Fire", was
caught on videotape having sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl. While the young girl on the video seemed to be a willing participant, Lowe was dragged through the mud. Not one celebrity signed a petition in support of him, and he went from the "A" to "B" list. He appeared in movies such as "Tommy Boy", "Wayne's World", and the television miniseries "The Stand", but he never went back to being the big box office draw he had been prior to the release of the tape.

So now the question remains: What makes Polanski bulletproof in the eyes of Hollywood? Let's be honest. Rob Lowe was wrong for having sex with a minor, but his actions pale in comparison to Roman Polanski. Why the complete 180 in this situation?

As many callers into Hannity's show pointed out today, had this been a Catholic priest who had been accused of such a heinous act, the left would be staying on this until the priest was ousted and jailed. What makes Polanski different?

I think Brad Paisley has the answer.




Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Chicago Olympics


Dear Leader and Mobama are set to go to Denmark to push for the 2016 Olympics to be held in Chicago. While we're all familiar with most of the Olympic events, I thought I'd add a few events to be included should Chitown get the bid.

  • The Roland Burris Musical Chairs Event -- This event involves paying for a Senate seat, so the athlete with the most money wins. Look for an oil-producing country to win the gold.
  • The Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Eating Contest -- Italy wins this one. Should the Italian team be bested by another country, the winning athletes get fitted for cement shoes.
  • The William Ayres Bomb Building Competition -- Contestants will get a chance to build a bomb and detonate it at Chicago Police Headquarters. The winner will be determined by whether they feel they've done enough. Place your money on Iran to win this event.
  • The Richard Daley Mayoral Run -- Athletes will be allowed to run through the streets of Chicago to see who can garner the most amount of bribes. The athlete with the highest amount of cash and assets takes the gold.
  • The Chicago Cubs Baseball Event -- While all athletes will get close to winning a medal, they won't pull it off.
  • The Barack Obama/Tony Rezko Real Estate Event -- Competitors will get to wheel and deal throughout the city to see how many properties they can scam out of the owners. The athlete with the lowest assessed property value at the end of the competition will be declared the winner.
  • The O'Hare Airplane Dodge -- Players will get the opportunity to play "chicken" with 747's during the business rush at O'Hare. The last one left standing is declared the gold medalist.
  • The ACORN Voter Drive -- All athletes will register to vote without having to prove eligibility. The competition will be to see who can vote the most number of times in as many voting booths as possible throughout the city. All votes will be counted.
  • The Altgeld Gardens Food Stamp Race -- Contestants will start on the roof of Altgeld Gardens with a month's supply of food stamps and wind their way down all floors to the bottom. Elevators will not be in use. The player with the most amount of food stamps left when they reach the bottom is declared the winner. Should all contestants die before making it to the bottom, the athlete found dead on the lowest level will win a posthumous gold medal.
This would make the Olympics so much more fun to watch, eh?

UPDATE: Thanks to my BOF, bunni, for giving me some info. The Altgeld Gardens race was originally The Cabrini Green Race. She told me Cabrini is no longer there. Thanks, hon!

Monday, September 28, 2009

An Open Letter to the Government

Dear U.S. Government:

As a concerned citizen of this great country, I feel that it is my duty to inform you of exactly what I will not concede in your never-ending quest for power and control. While I will continue to be a law-abiding citizen under current laws, there may come a time when I will no longer be said law-abiding citizen. There are certain things I will not tolerate.
  1. Should you get the urge to curtail my God-given right of free speech, I will not shut up. You may take away the means by which I communicate, but you will not stifle my voice.
  2. For years, there has been a movement to strike all reference to Christianity from the public sector. Hear me when I say that I will not renounce my faith in God. The day may come when religion in general is abolished and we will not be given a choice of who to worship. I will NEVER worship any other deity than the one god who sent His only son to save mankind. I will die for my faith.
  3. My firearms are off limits to you. Guns, in the hands of peaceful and law-abiding citizens, keep society as a whole safe. We who believe in the right to bear arms keep society safe from not only the dregs of society, but we are the last line in defense of an overreaching government. You will get my guns if I am dead or if you can find them. And I can hide them well.
  4. The money earned by my family is ours. You have no right to rob us of the fruits of our productivity and give it to those you deem worthy. That is theft on your part, and it is a disgrace.
  5. The health decisions my family makes are our responsibility. We do not need you to tell us what treatments we can and cannot have.
  6. My children are exactly that: MINE. You will not indoctrinate them, you will not force me to vaccinate them, and you sure as hell won't take them from me. Those are my most precious blessings from God himself. I will decide what I believe God wants me to teach those angels, not you.
  7. I will continue to exercise my freedom and take full responsibility for the decisions I make. I do not need you to determine what is best for me.
This country is my home. Just as I would not tolerate an intruder coming in and destroying my house, I will be damned if I will stand by and watch the government destroy my home.

Consider yourselves warned.

Sincerely,
blackandgoldfan

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Talking Crap with Andrew Klavan

I ran across this little gem this morning via Pajamas Media. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Hope In The Next Generation


I actually had a good day yesterday. The little Hannah Montana wannabe and I went to the local mall as they didn't have school. Even the damage to our checking account that she did at her favorite accessories store didn't darken the day.

As we were walking around the mall, we stumbled upon a used book sale sponsored by a local literacy group. I've been to these sales before and have the time of my life browsing through box after box full of books. My mom seems to think I'll be like Burgess Meredith in that old Twilight Zone episode. Minus the glasses, of course.

While Cheyenne looked through the children's section, I headed for the classic literature section not far from where she was. The mall was fairly empty, and I was able to keep an eye on her at all times. Being nine and autistic, I try to foster independence in her whenever I can, so I took this opportunity to do so. And Mom was never out of sight. We enjoyed this time.

I happened upon a couple of Stephen King books to add to my collection of his older (and best) works. Not too bad. Scored a copy of the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe. Sweet! A couple of boxes later, I found The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I felt like I had just found the Holy Grail. I paid for my books, rounded up Cheyenne, and headed home.

The kids stayed at Grandma's last night so the hubby and I could have a long-overdue date night. In deciding what we wanted to do after dinner, I told him I wanted to go back to the book sale. Deep down inside, I was hoping that lightning would strike twice and I could find a copy of Atlas Shrugged. Back to the mall we went.

In scouring through more boxes that had been brought out since earlier that day, I came across my favorite book of all time, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I would've taken someone's arm off to get that book.

I was approached by an older gentleman in his mid- to late 60's when I grabbed the Dickens book. He was a volunteer helping with the sale.

"Looks like someone found something they like," he said.

"Yeah. My favorite. Great story."

We struck up a conversation as I continued on my quest for Rand. He said he used to teach literature before he retired, so the conversation stayed on the subject of that. I told him about how excited I was about finding Ayn's book earlier in the day. That's when the conversation took a nasty turn.

"Her works are garbage," he said. "She did nothing but promote selfishness in her stories." I was stunned.

I explained that I felt that it's important to read things that may not fit with one's beliefs so as to stay educated and not remain ignorant. It was a matter of choice by the individual (knowing he evidently advocates collectivism). He suddenly had work to do on the other side of center court. Fine with me, pal!

What happened next was my inspiration to write this post. It completely restored my faith in what the next generation of potential leaders may produce.

A young man in his late teens, possibly very early 20's, approached me. "Excuse me," he said. I looked up to see a young man who was wearing his baseball hat sideways, an AC/DC t-shirt, and blue jeans. He instantly reminded me of my Limbaugh baby minus the hat.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I just wanted to say that he's [the older man] full of shit. I've read both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and they're awesome books." If I hadn't been there when my older son was born, I'd swear this was his twin, right down to political ideology.

We started a conversation while we continued looking through the books. This young man was courteous, respectful, clean, and intelligent. I asked him if he had ever read Anthem by Ayn Rand. Having replied to the negative, he immediately took out his cell phone and made himself a note to secure a copy at the library. We continued chatting until my husband called from Sears' tool department to check in. I wished the young man well and thanked him for being an open-minded thinker instead of an indoctrinated robot. We shook hands and parted.

To that wonderful young man should he stumble across this: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is young people such as yourself who give me hope for this nation in these very dark times. May God bless you in whatever path you choose in this life, and may He keep you safe on your journey. Stay strong in your beliefs. You are our hope.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Dangerous Chemical Alert!!!

Watch how gullible a lot of environmentalists can be!



Check out this site to learn more about this dangerous chemical!

Huge h/t to my Limbaugh baby and his senior project prof! Yinz made my day!

9/12 and G20: A Comparison




Well, the city of Pittsburgh has officially kicked off the G20 Summit much to the dismay of this blogger. The agenda set for this summit reads like something out of Orwell's 1984. Changes to the world banking system and the ever-present, bogus non-issue of climate change are among the topics set for discussion during this meeting of mushheads.

During the 9/12 patriot march on Washington, nearly two million people from all walks of life came together to protest the growing intrusion into our lives by government. By all accounts, not one arrest was made in connection with the protesters. People were vocal, but respectful.

Police here have made numerous arrests of snarky little anarchists hell-bent on disrupting the summit by any means necessary. They used tear gas on the little socialists when things got ugly.

Yesterday, it was reported here that PNC Bank headquarters had windows broken by those Michael Moore supporters who wish to see the death of capitalism. I'd think it's safe to say that they'll be glad to see the summit end so they don't have to miss the opening weekend of His Royal Fatness' movie.

Ahead of the summit, local television stations showed footage of local businesses who, knowing what to expect, had decided to board up their storefronts and close shop during the summit. These businesses are, for the most part, small businesses who really can't afford to close for one day let alone two. But knowing this crowd, they decided to take the loss.

The West End Bridge was the site of a protest by some climate-change alarmist group (Greenpeace would be my guess). A banner was hung from the side warning of "Climate Destruction Ahead." How nice.

Compare all this crap to what we witnessed on 9/12 in Washington. To the best of my knowledge, there was no fear by business owners of having their storefronts defaced. Did the DC mayor have to ask for 4,000 federal troops to help local law enforcement? Well, The Boy Mayor here (Ravenstahl is 29.) did so in anticipation of protests and riots. Why? I thought this was the peace-loving crowd the left is always touting themselves as.

After the summit ends today, traffic will return to its normal nightmare, and businesses will once again open their doors to customers. The tent cities erected in various sections of the city will come down, and the city will once again return to its former state of routine chaos. World leaders will return to their countries, and the media spin machine will start the task of assuring us that any egregious policies that have come out of this are for our own good.

I'm going to be watching for any word on the clean-up efforts when everyone goes home. We saw a stark contrast between the inauguration crowd and the 9/12 marchers.

I hope the city of Pittsburgh has alloted for extra manpower to help clean up. They should've started on Wednesday by removing the trash staying in tents.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Why Libs Hate America

This is an excellent guest post from Sharky at LandShark 5150. Thanks to Sharky for allowing me to repost this!

The reason the American left despises this country with the level of hatred – and you libs know I’m telling the truth; you know you despise this land. You hate the fact that what little shreds of this Constitution that we have here that are still preventing mass marches toward socialism. You hate the fact that those shreds are left. Just admit. We’ll all get along better once all our opinions are truthful and out in the open here. This is why they hate us so much, speaking of our domestic enemies here.

This is why they hate this country so vehemently and oppose it so vociferously, with such great consistency. It’s because it exists as the last bastion of freedom and liberty around the world. That’s why.

And as long as we exist, well, then there’s hope for freedom. And as long as we exist, well, then there could be dark days ahead for those that sit around blogging in their pajamas, for those that sit around doing nothing for a living other than attending protests and burning American flags, for those that do nothing for a living other sitting there trying to concoct new and mo’ better ways for them to skim off of the hard work and labor of the rest of us, via their 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and what have you. And the list goes on and on and on. As long as we exist as the beacon of hope, as Bill Bennett calls it, “America, the last best hope.” Or as Ronald Reagan called it.

As long as we are here, well, then we are a threat to what they seek. And what they seek is your servitude, sir and madam. What they seek is you to be told how you will live your life, you to be told how you’ll recycle, you to be told how many kids you’ll have and when you’ll have them, you to be told what you’ll eat, you to be told what your kids will learn in school, you to be told what you will do with your children, whether or not you will discipline them as you see fit and according to your religious conviction.

As long as we have those little shreds of freedom and liberty left, they’ll never quit, until Atlas has shrugged as he did in Ayn Rand’s book. That’s why they hate us, and that’s why – give them credit. They are committed to the idea of destruction.

We should be equally committed to the idea of preventing that destruction and preserving, thus, the term “conservative,” and conserving what our fore-fathers bequeathed to us. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we oppose them. And you’re not going to make any headway with these people by treating them civilly. I fundamentally, categorically disagree with people that think that these people can be beaten in debates. All they have are talking points to debate. There’s no rational, philosophical or ideological point of view that they bring to the debating table. It’s all invective. It’s all innuendo.

You can’t beat these people like that. And that’s the challenge.

So, why let them get away with it? They don’t let you get away with it. They’re perfectly happy when you lose and when the U.S. loses, and when freedom and liberty lose and are confiscated from the people. It’s a good day for them when they are empowered to do this or that or the other.

As a matter of fact, I would be honored if you people, when you have time, to get back what was bequeathed to us, that which is our birth-right here.

Today’s Republicans are wrong, and I can talk myself blue in the face. It’s not going to change the outcome of this election. But, we can begin the process of getting the party back, and our movement back, on firm intellectual and ideological footing where it should be.

Now, the reason I bring this up is because I stumbled upon a couple of – – some things that I didn’t know. I had nary a clue. And I’m just so tickled to have learned this, and excited about it, I wanted to pass it on to you.

The only notes of what happened behind closed doors from May the 17th, or May the 11th, rather, to September the 17th, what became known as the Philadelphia Convention, which yielded The Constitution of the United States which we have today. The only notes that survive are the writings of James Madison in his personal diary. And people have always – people like me, I have always wondered why. Were they destroyed? What happened to them?

Well, now that I’ve done the research, I know why...
...On the first day, one of the delegates proposed that a secretary be appointed and that the secretary then go out and hire some transcriptionists to transcribe everything, to take minutes, to take notes, and enter them into the official record.

Well, there was a vote held on this. And as James Madison records, the vote yielded this:

Nomina contra decenta.

That is Latin for “without objection.” It failed without objection, unanimous.

And the reason given, the reason that they gave for not taking notes as they were drafting The Constitution was this, which is what I found funny, because they didn’t want – the delegates – didn’t want the proceedings recorded so that, if The Constitution didn’t work – and they didn’t even know it was called a constitution on that day; they just knew they were working on a new government – that if the new government didn’t, if it was tried and it failed, and failed miserably, that no one could go back and get the notes and say, “Well, you see it didn’t work because that jackass, he’s the one that proposed this stupid idea, and that’s why we all died.” So that there would no blame to be passed around.

I found that the more I learned the founding the more you see the sheer brilliance there and the foresight that we’ll never know who proposed this. We have some ideas on certain things. But I just thought that that was just one of the coolest things and the most illuminating things that I have learned in a long time.

And that’s why there are no notes, other than what James Madison surreptitiously transcribed in his personal diary, which, you know, has to be interpreted. I mean this is like deciphering hieroglyphics here. I’ve seen them. I can’t read them. There’s some guys at Yale have transcribed these things, the Avalon Project at Yale, have taken it on. You’d be surprised at Yale – it’s one of the great document and historical repositories, surprisingly.

The HAPPY Act


Here we go folks. We're about to fall just a tad bit further down the rabbit hole. The information for this comes from the Huffington Post (I know...pick your jaw off the floor.). I occasionally stop over there to see just how successful we conservatives/libertarians are by how much whining goes on over there.

In the midst of this economic crisis created by the left, it appears that a Republican House member from Michigan (Is there really such a creature?) has introduced a tax credit for the American people. The tax credit could give Americans up to $3500 in savings on their returns. The catch? It's a tax credit for expenses spent on YOUR PETS. That's right. Spot and Fido could potentially get you a tax break.

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) has sent out a letter to fellow House members asking for co-sponsors on his Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years Act (HAPPY) which would give taxpayers up to $3500 in tax credits for pet care, including vet visits.

"Dear Colleague," the letter reads.

"According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63% of United States households own a pet. Indeed, the human-animal bond has been shown to have a positive effect upon people's emotional and physical well being. In families with children, pets help to create a nurturing environment and provide ample educational opportunities. For people in later stages of life, pets offer important companionship. No matter the age of the owner, pets have been shown to reduce stress, safeguard against depression, improve social skills, and even ease loss.

"In light of this, please join me in becoming a cosponsor to H.R. 3501, the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act. If enacted, H.R. 3501 would amend the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow an annual tax deduction of up to $3500 for qualified pet care expenses. Specifically, "qualified pet care expenses" would be defined as funds spent in connection with providing care (including veterinary care) for a legally owned, domesticated animal."

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my pets. But instead of giving more of a tax break to help pay for healthcare expenses for humans, Mr. McCotter has gotten this so upside-down that it boggles my mind.

Right now, the IRS allows a taxpayer to deduct medical and dental expenses that exceed 7.5% of their adjusted gross income. If you spend less than that, you can't deduct your medical expenses. But you can sure deduct expenses for the care of your pet under this legislation! Am I the only one who has an issue with this lunacy?

McCotter introduced this legislation in late July and has yet to garner any co-sponsors. Thank Heaven!

Btw...the picture at the top of this post is my beloved pit bull, Zeus.



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/23/house-goper-seeks-co-spon_n_296670.html

"Dear Colleague," the letter reads.

"According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63% of United States households own a pet. Indeed, the human-animal bond has been shown to have a positive effect upon people's emotional and physical well being. In families with children, pets help to create a nurturing environment and provide ample educational opportunities. For people in later stages of life, pets offer important companionship. No matter the age of the owner, pets have been shown to reduce stress, safeguard against depression, improve social skills, and even ease loss.

"In light of this, please join me in becoming a cosponsor to H.R. 3501, the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act. If enacted, H.R. 3501 would amend the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow an annual tax deduction of up to $3500 for qualified pet care expenses. Specifically, "qualified pet care expenses" would be defined as funds spent in connection with providing care (including veterinary care) for a legally owned, domesticated animal."

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Meet the 'Safe Schools Czar'


Kevin Jennings, the "Safe Schools Czar" appointed by BHO, has a radical past (surprise...not) of promoting homosexuality in schools, drug use, and contempt for religion. He also wrote at one time of an underage student who had told Jennings that he was having sex with older men. Jennings did not report the incident.

In 1990, as a teacher in Massachusetts, he founded the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which now has over 40 chapters at schools nationwide. He has also published six books on gay rights and education, including one that describes his own experiences as a closeted gay student.

"Jennings was obviously chosen for this job because of the safe schools aspect... defining 'safe schools' narrowly in terms of 'safe for homosexuality'," Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, told FOXNews.com.

"But at least half of the job involves creating drug-free schools, and we've not been offered any evidence about what qualifications Jennings has for promoting drug-free schools."

In fact, in his 2007 autobiography "Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son: A Memoir," Jennings talks extensively of his drug use during his high school years in the early 1980's.

"I got stoned more often and went out to the beach at Bellows, overlooking Honolulu Harbor and the lights of the city, to drink with my buddies on Friday and Saturday nights, spending hours watching the planes take off and land at the airport, which is actually quite fascinating when you are drunk and stoned."

While I'm not throwing stones here, I will be the first to speak out against drug use. Experience has taught me that it's just not the thing to do. Jennings has largely remained silent on the issue since his book was published.

Liberal groups have said that the revelation of these facts by those on the right are nothing more than a smear campaign. Here we go again...

In 1997, according to a transcript put together by Brian J. Burt, managing editor of the student-run Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Jennings said he hoped that promoting homosexuality in schools would be considered fine in the future.

"One of our board members" was called to testify before Congress when they had hearings on the promotion of homosexuality in schools," Jennings said. "And we were busy putting out press releases, and saying, "We're not promoting homosexuality, that's not what our program's about. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.... '

"Being finished might someday mean that most straight people, when they would hear that someone was promoting homosexuality, would say 'Yeah, who cares?' because they wouldn't necessarily equate homosexuality with something bad that you would not want to promote."

In 2000, GLSEN co-sponsored a conference along with the Massachusetts Department of Education. It was revealed that there were some pretty graphic and unorthodox sex techniques being discussed with kids. The following is a quote made by a state official who had been talking to teenagers.

"Fisting (forcing one's entire hand into another person's rectum or vagina) often gets a bad rap....[It's] an experience of letting somebody into your body that you want to be that close and intimate with...[and] to put you into an exploratory mode."

I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but could someone tell me how this is an appropriate topic to be discussing with teens at an educational conference? I'd make a safe bet that my 21-year-old doesn't even know what that is. Or maybe I'm just in denial.

On the topic of religion, Mr. Jennings wrote in his memoir:

"What had [God] done for me, other than make me feel shame and guilt? Squat. Screw you, buddy -- I don't need you around anymore, I decided.

"The Baptist Church had left me only a legacy of self-hatred, shame, and disappointment, and I wanted no more of it or its Father. The long erosion of my faith was now complete, and I, for many years, reacted violently to anyone who professed any kind of religion. Decades passed before I opened a Bible again."

He since claims that he is now involved with the Union Theological Seminary, which describes itself as "progressive and evangelical." Jennings also claims that he considers himself a religious person. Of course he does now that he can't be seen as anti-religion.

In 1994, Jennings wrote a book titled "One Teacher in 10" in which he tells the story of a sophomore named Brewster who had told Jennings of being involved with older men.

"Out spilled a story about his involvement with an older man he had met in Boston. I listened, sympathized, and offered advice. He left my office with a smile on his face that I would see every time I saw him on the campus for the next two years, until he graduated."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't teachers required to report the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors? Even if there's no legal issue compelling teachers to do so, they should at least be ethical enough report such incidents.

So there it is. The new "Safe Schools Czar" is a man who, at least in some respects, advocates pushing homosexuality in the schools and has little regard for religion. On top of that, he failed in his duty to report possible sexual abuse of a minor.

Don't you feel even better about sending your kids to school now?


The NWO Birthplace: Pittsburgh?


Have you ever had a time in your life when something so disturbing just keeps eating away at you and you struggle with the notion of whether or not to say it for fear of being labeled a nut? Well, dear friends, I'm at that crossroads right now. But, for one reason or another, I truly believe that God is telling me to do a post on this, and when He speaks, I listen. If the subject of religion bothers you, please stop here. I won't hold it against you.

My dear friend, Bungalow Bill, did a post on the upcoming G20 being held in a few days here in my beloved city of Pittsburgh. It concerns the issue of whether this G20 gathering could produce a New World Order. I'm not going into the details because he did an excellent job of making a sound argument in support of the possibility.





The idea of a NWO, to be perfectly candid, scares the ever-loving daylights right out of me. Not so much for myself, but for my children. Do I want to see a world where there is only one government and one currency? No. Do I want to see a world where people can't make transactions without first being microchipped (Mark of the Beast, in my opinion)? No. Do I really want to see the rise of the most evil being to ever walk the face of the earth? No. But I believe that this is the world that will be coming soon because it has been foretold by St. John in the book of Revelation.

The Catholic Church and I differ on a few issues. One of them is the Rapture. I believe that there will be a Rapture of God's children before the dark period known as the Tribulation. I went to my priest after Mass one day and told him about a nightmare I had that had awakened me in a full-blown panic attack. The nightmare was that my kids came home one sunny day and showed me the "tattoos" they had received in school. Realizing that these were "The Mark," I felt such agony that I couldn't control myself. My priest immediately told me, "There is no such thing as the Rapture. Just the Second Coming." I think not.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess, 4:16-18).

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

This is where my hope lies. I can't wait to meet all of the wonderful people God has sent into my life through the blogosphere. I believe you were sent into my life for a purpose, and rest assured that I am ever grateful to Him.

I'm going to leave you with this video. It's one of my favorite hymns and always seems to move me to the bottom of my soul.

Thank you for reading this post that seems somewhat out of character for me. I truly am blessed.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I Want My NEA Grant!!!

Since the NEA grants seem to be given out to those "artists" who use Obama's picture or images of his agenda in their work, I submit my own picture of Dear Leader in application for a grant.

Now gimme my damned money!!!

9/12 -- The REAL Numbers

My pal at Left Coast Rebel steered me to this information. It's an independent report done by Zac Moilanen at Indiana University, and he has the estimated number of patriots who turned out at 1,782,780.

From the Rebel himself:

One of the most disturbing and frustrating events that I have encountered during my stay here at the Left Coast Rebel has been the State-Media's attempt to downplay, obfuscate, and shove aside the massive number of folks that protested on 9/12. I have never seen anything like it in my life, to be perfectly honest. Frankly I am not here to even say though that I am surprised that our 'press' would do this, I am however pointing you to an independent report done by a Mr. Zac Moilanen at Indiana University. The entire document is below. Be sure to click on the 'full screen' tab. BTW, he comes to an estimate of 1,782,760 folks. Obamantion and Statists, ignore us and we'll see you in 2010.
The Real Number of Protesters - Zac Moilanen

Monday, September 21, 2009

ACORN's $50M Real Estate Empire


I've never been to New York City. A place I've wanted to see just once in my life, New York has come to be known for one thing in recent years: high taxes and rent. From acquaintances I have who have lived there, it's not a place you can live in on a shoestring budget.

Enter everyone's favorite corrupt organization, ACORN. The New York Post is reporting that ACORN and some of its affiliates have become the owners of many low- and moderate-income housing units. The estimated worth of the real estate holdings is at least $50 million. How frickin' nice. Not only have they helped countless number of people scam the American taxpayers, but they've managed to build a real estate empire to rival Donald Trump using our tax dollars.

New York ACORN and a whole web of affiliates own or manage almost 1,500 housing units across three of New York's five boroughs. Estimated income from those units? $5.7 million from rents, fees, and profits from sales. Why were they even getting ANY tax dollars at this rate?

Generically-named nonprofits, holding companies, and development funds are given the task of managing these properties. Entities named 385 Palmetto Street Housing Development Fund and the Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY) are able to function without exposing any ties to the national ACORN conglomerate. Pretty slick, huh?

Since its inception in 1987, MHANY has accumulated more than 80 homes and apartment complexes across Brooklyn. MHANY reaped approximately $2.5 million in 2007 according to state and federal filings reviewed by the Post.

The revenue generated by these housing units helps support at least 18 local ACORN affiliates. Most of these affiliates are headquartered at 2-4 Nevins Street in Brooklyn, an address shared with the Working Families Party, a progressive group of grassroots community organizers. The group backs such causes as public education for all regardless of where they grow up, healthcare for all, and the green agenda. Sounds like an ACORN wannabe if you ask me.

Among the 18 plus affiliates is the New York ACORN Housing Company. Last week, this was one of the groups busted in an undercover video giving shady advice to two people posing as a pimp and a prostitute.

Local ACORN housing companies share a president, Hazel Desant, an executive director, Ismene Speliotis, and identical boards.

ACORN reports no compensation for the board members, although it disclosed that 10 directors -- all except Desant -- hold leases in ACORN-owned buildings ranging in value from $5,900 to $11,000 annually. I wonder how many people in New York would LOVE to have those rent rates.

Six of the directors owed a total of $8,700 in rent as of June 2008, according to the agency's most recent filing. Speliotis reported an annual salary of $60,773 in 2007.

A spokesman for the organization once represented in court by Obama said that the properties were acquired through city, state, and federal housing programs, and, therefore have no real resale value. Oh really??? Someone in New York should point this out the next time they want to sell one of their buildings. All this tells me is that ACORN used OUR money to buy these properties, but we don't get one dime of any revenue generated. What a bunch of crooks.

"New York ACORN Housing is one of the top providers of managers of affordable housing in this city or anywhere in the United States," spokesman Jonathan Rosen said.

"The Bloomberg administration has turned to New York ACORN housing again and again to help realize the city's vision of developing more affordable housing for New York's working families." This statement makes me wonder what's in it for Bloomberg. Let's face reality. His one goal in this life is to make money. Period.

New York ACORN Housing Company owns or manages several ACORN properties, including four multi-family dwellings in East Harlem and two sparkling new Brooklyn housing complexes.

Since 2000, ACORN has managed an 85-unit housing complex in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx, one of the poorest communities in the country. Over half the population receives some form of assistance. So not only did we most likely pay for the complex itself, but we're also most likely paying the rent for the residents of this apartment building.

ACORN has proven time and again that they'll manipulate the system to access the money paid by those who work their fingers to the bone. These people seem to have no scruples whatsoever.

If an investigation of ACORN comes to fruition, I suggest that they let Sheriff Joe Arpaio lead it.


Undercover in Berkeley

Steve Crowder has done it again. The comedian has gone undercover as a lefty in the liberal bastion known as Berkeley. Watch this and remember that these people are taking up perfectly good air that could be used by someone else.

Connecting More Dots: SEIU





The other day, I posted a timeline, courtesy of World Net Daily, that showed the relationship between ACORN and the current occupant of the White House. It sparked my interest, so I decided to do some more research online. The corrupt dealings of this administration just keep coming and coming and coming...

Glenn Beck has done a stellar job of reporting the corruption by the organization who receives millions of OUR tax dollars every year. In fact, I feel that Beck should be sharing a Pulitzer Prize with the two undercover filmmakers who videotaped all the crap that has come to light in recent weeks.

Beck has recently called the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), headed by president Andy Stern, the sister organization of ACORN. If they are the sister organization, this is a relationship that is more incestuous than any from the hills of Appalachia.

Recently, the SEIU has made the news by using thug tactics at Tea Party protests across the country. Intimidation and physical force are their weapons of choice.

While we now know about the ties between the Oval Office and ACORN, what about the ties between ACORN and the SEIU?? Let's take a look.

The Union Label Blog has connected the dots. Keep in mind that while being associated with ACORN, the SEIU has the ear of BHO.

SEIU Locals 100 and 880 share the same address: 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans. Just up the street is the ACORN office at 1016 Elysian Fields Avenue. Wouldn't be that far to walk, eh?

The unions are to file disclosure statements regarding finances with the Department of Labor. According to Local 880's 2005 financial filings with the DOL, there's been some closed-door dealings going on. Loans and payments have been made to ACORN-run organizations.

  • A loan receivable from SEIU Local 100, which started the year at $11,500 and ended the year at only $500—a note shows the loan wasn’t repaid in cash, but rather “reduced to in-kind service”
  • “Gifts” totaling $151,694 to the L880 Political Action Committee, which is run out of ACORN’s Louisiana office
  • Local 880 received $36,425 as a “contractual fee” from the L880 Political Action Committee
  • Representational activities included $6,388 in non-itemized payments to the Chief Organizer Fund (Chief Organizer is Rathke’s title for most of his positions) at ACORN’s office and $66,870 in non-itemized payments to Citizens Consulting Inc., ACORN’s multi-use organization
  • $177,430 paid to Citizens Consulting for “Accounting and Administrative Support” and non-itemized transactions for “General Overhead”
  • $10,102 paid to Citizens Consulting for “Union Administration”
Local 100's financial filings reveal even more corruption.

  • $8,098 in overhead paid to Citizens Consulting
  • $9,523 paid to the “Peoples Equipment Resource Corp,” which is registered to Rathke at ACORN’s headquarters
  • $6,300 to the Elysian Fields Corporation
  • Accounts payable records show $73,984 to the Elysian Fields Corporation; $34,241 to Citizens Consulting; $13,795 to the Fifteenth Street Corporation; and $9,072to the 4415 San Jacinto Corporation—all of which are run out of ACORN’s New Orleans headquarters
  • Loans payable included its original $11,500 debt to Local 880 and $8,907 to the Association for the Rights of Citizens—a group run by Local 880 and ACORN.48 Loans to these two organizations were reflected as early as 2000, with as much as $47,000 of money from members in Local 880 being used to support its less-successful sibling.
ACORN appears to have been hired by the SEIU to assail Wal-Mart for not unionizing their employees because the SEIU headquarters sent two installments totaling $500,000 to the "Wal-Mart Organizing Project." The checks were sent to 1016 Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans: ACORN's Big Easy Office.

Kevin Mooney at the Washington Examiner had more information that had been posted at The Other McCain. A 2007 LM-2 (financial disclosure form) shows SEIU Local 880, which is active in Illinois and Minnesota, donated $60,118 to ACORN for “membership services.” Organized labor has kicked it back in the form of gifts and grants to ACORN totaling $2.4 million, the LM-2’s reveal.

When Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) decided to cut the pay of home health workers by two dollars an hour during the state's last budget crisis, saving $74 million. These workers are SEIU members. What was the union's reaction? They pressured the Obama administration to withhold $6.8 billion in stimulus funding in retaliation. In fact, SEIU representatives were invited by Obama to negotiations between federal and state government officials that were held via a conference call. Why is a union being asked to participate in negotiations between government officials when they hold no such position? A SEIU spokeswoman later defended the call as "an example of transparency." Yeah...right.

How does this tie to the White House other than the ACORN link? Obama appointed Craig Becker, the associate general counsel of Andy Stern's SEIU, to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Becker is radical on the issue of unions, and his opinions are very well known within the political circle.

Mr. Becker wants to implement his radical unionism on the American capitalist society. In a 1993 Minnesota Law Review article, written when he was a UCLA professor, he explained that traditional notions of democracy should not apply in union elections. He wrote that employers should be barred from attending NLRB hearings about elections, and from challenging election results even amid evidence of union misconduct. He believes elections should be removed from work sites and held on “neutral grounds,” or via mail ballots. Employers should also be barred from “placing observers at the polls to challenge ballots.”

More extraordinary, Mr. Becker advocated a new “body of campaign rules” that would severely limit the ability of employers to argue against unionization. He argued that any meeting a company holds that involves a “captive audience” ought to be grounds for overturning an election. If a company wants to distribute leaflets that oppose the union, for example, Mr. Becker said it must allow union access to its private property to do the same.

With all of this political favortism coming to the surface, how can Dear Leader distance himself from ACORN and SEIU when he is chin-deep in the muck?

Someone's getting thrown under the bus.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Illegal Public Education Ends in Texas


Kelt Cooper, the new superintendent of the Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District, is doing what someone should've done a long time ago. He has basically put the brakes on the gravy train that allowed approximately 500 or more children living in Mexico to receive a public education courtesy of the U.S. taxpayers. About damned time!

District staff members have been sent to the border crossing at Cuidad Acuna to tell parents that they either provide proof of residency or their children will be expelled. Most of the time, Mexican residents provide a false U.S. address to enroll their kids in the school district, and the little cherubs get to school either by using a walking bridge to cross the border or parents drive them to school here in the U.S. Why the hell do we have bridges allowing people to walk across the border to begin with? I say it's time to bring them down in order to make room for that double fence with surplus land mines in between. THAT'S homeland security!

“I’ve seen van loads of kids with plates from Coahuila State (Mexico) pulling in front of the school,” Del Rio Superintendent Kelt Cooper told a major news organization. “Everyone knows what is going on. It’s real blatant." I also offer that it's a slap in the face to every American taxpayer who is sick of having their tax money squandered on those who do not contribute to the system but expect others to pick up the tab.

Mr. Cooper is a former school superintendent for the city Nogales, Arizona, one of the busiest border crossings in the state. He once uncovered the fact that dozens of students within that school district had all used the same vacant lot address to enroll in school and drain U.S. taxpayer resources.

While stopping a little over 500 illegals seems about as effective as peeing over Niagara Falls hoping to make a difference, it is a start. The proposed move by Mr. Cooper would save the taxpayers approximately $3 million annually. That ain't chump change!

The average cost to the American taxpayers to provide education to those who should not be getting it is approximately $12 BILLION a year, with (no surprise) California and Texas forking out the most with spending of $7.7 billion and $3.9 billion respectively. Estimates are that there are approximately 1.5 million school-aged illegal immigrants across the country receiving a public education. Why the hell isn't more being done to stop this??? Oops...I forgot. BHO, Senora Justice Sotomayor, La Raza, and the compassionate left think there's nothing wrong with it. We greedy Americans need to show the rest of the world that we care, right?

I have no problem with parents wanting a better education for their children, but DO IT LEGALLY!!! Come to this country, go through the naturalization process, and pay your frickin' taxes like the rest of us. Quit whining about how oppressed you are and respect the laws of this country if you want your children to reap the benefits of their dreams in order to have a better life.

I look for La Raza and the ACLU (Atheist Communist Liberal Uprising) to take this to court on the grounds that civil rights to education are being denied. CIVIL RIGHTS APPLY TO AMERICAN CITIZENS, YOU DOPES! Unfortunately, Obamarx may make this all a moot point by giving amnesty to illegals in order to get them healthcare.

Let's call this movement exactly what it is: a non-military invasion. And the left is guilty of treason by aiding and abetting it.

Pray for this country like you've never done before.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Obama and ACORN: A Timeline


World Net Daily has done an excellent job of outlining Dear Leader's ties to the corrupt organization known as ACORN. While most of us have always known that he's been capitulating to their every whim, this article really ties it all together nicely and shows just how far BHO has been willing to let ACORN stick it in.

Click here for the entire article.

1990s: Obama meets ACORN

ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, first noticed Obama when he was organizing on the far south side of the city with the Developing Communities Project. A March 2, 2008, Los Angeles Times article by Letta Tayler and Keith Herbert, titled "Obama Forged Path As Chicago Community Organizer," explored Obama's pre-law school days as a community organizer in Chicago and his efforts to build a partnership with Chicago's "Friends of the Parks."

"Obama's task was to help far South Side residents press for improvement," the Times article explained.

1993: Woods Foundation

In 1993, Obama joined the board of the Woods Foundation, a non-profit foundation which declares its goal to "increase opportunities for less advantaged people and communities by giving money primarily to not-for-profit groups involved in housing, the arts and other areas." Obama served along with Bill Ayers and remained on the board until 2002.

Pajamas Media reports that during Obama's time there, ACORN received grants of $45,000 (2000), $30,000 (2001), $45,000 (2001), $30,000 (2002) and $40,000 (2002) from the Woods Fund.

1994: Buycks-Robinson v. Citibank

As WND reported, in 1994, Obama, a graduate of Harvard Law School then fresh from his Project Vote! experience, represented ACORN in the Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Federal Savings Bank case, in which ACORN pressed for Citibank to make more loans to marginally qualified African-American applicants "in a race neutral way."

After obtaining a settlement in the Citibank litigation, ACORN used its subsidiary organization ACORN Housing, a nationwide organization with offices in more than 30 U.S. cities, to push the group's radical agenda to get subprime home buyers mortgages under the most favorable terms possible.

1995: ACORN attorney in Illinois lawsuit

In 1995, Obama was hired as a lawyer for ACORN in a major lawsuit. As a lawyer with civil-rights law firm Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, he sued the state of Illinois on behalf of ACORN to implement the federal "motor voter" law.

Also in 1995, as WND's Jerome Corsi reported, Bill Ayers co-founded the Chicago Annenberg Challenge with a $50 million grant program for the Chicago public schools. Ayers selected Obama to be the first chairman of the board of the Annenberg Challenge, a position Obama held for eight years, until 2003, a period during which Ayers remained active with the Challenge.

In his Wall Street Journal article, Stanley Kurtz wrote that the Annenberg project funneled money to through various far-left community organizers, including ACORN.


Obama's FIght the Smears website claims Obama "never organized with ACORN"

1996: New Party ties

As WND reported, newspaper evidence shows Obama was a member of the New Party, which sought to elect members to public office with the aim of moving the Democratic Party far leftward to ultimately form a new political party with a socialist agenda. While running for the Illinois state Senate in 1996 as a Democrat, Obama actively sought and received the endorsement of the New Party, according to confirmed reports during last year's presidential campaign.


Barack Obama pictured in New Party publication (Courtesy New Zeal blog)

According to Democratic Socialists of America documents, the New Party worked with ACORN to promote its candidates.

1997-2004: Illinois state senator


Obama meeting with ACORN leaders as an Illinois Senate candidate

In 1997, Obama became an Illinois state senator. ACORN national board member Toni Foulkes bragged of ACORN's long-standing relationship with Obama prior to his election in the 2003-2004 issue of Social Policy.







2005: U.S. senator

In 2005, Obama became a U.S. senator.

2007: From Obama's own mouth ...

He was asked, "If elected president of the Unites States, would you agree, in your first 100 days, to meet with the delegation of representatives from these various community organizations that campaigned for community values? Could they count on you in your first 100 days to sit down with them?"

Obama responded, "Yes. But let me even say before I even get inaugurated, during the transition, we're going to be calling all of you in to help us shape the agenda. We're going to be having meetings all across the country with community organizations so that you have input into the agenda for the next presidency of the United States of America."

2008: ACORN endorses Obama

On Feb. 21, 2008, the Acorn Political Action Committee endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primaries.

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, insisted they had nothing to do with ACORN after the inner-city advocacy group became engulfed in controversy over voter-registration fraud.

But in August 2008, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the Obama campaign paid $832,598.29 to ACORN "offshoot" Citizens Services Inc. for "get out the vote" projects from Feb. 25 to May 17.

The newspaper revealed that Obama's payments to CSI for services were unusual: "For example, CSI received payments of $63,000 and $75,000 for advance work. Excluding the large payments to CSI, the average amount the Obama campaign spent with other organizations was $558.82 per check on more than 1,200 entries classified as advance work."


Anita Moncrief, former ACORN insider

According to the report, Citizens Services Inc. is headquartered at the same address as ACORN's national headquarters in New Orleans. A 2006 ACORN publication describes Citizen Services Inc. as "ACORN's campaign services entity."









2009: Criminal case against ACORN

According to the results of a congressional investigation done in July, ACORN was found to be rife with criminal activity.

A report from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform states that ACORN "has repeatedly and deliberately engaged in systemic fraud. Both structurally and operationally, ACORN hides behind a paper wall of nonprofit corporate protections to conceal a criminal conspiracy on the part of its directors, to launder federal money in order to pursue a partisan political agenda and to manipulate the American electorate."

Since 1994, ACORN has received more than $53 million in federal funds, according to the report.

"Under the Obama administration, ACORN stands to receive a whopping $8.5 billion in available stimulus funds. Operationally, ACORN is a shell game played in 120 cities, 43 states and the District of Columbia through a complex structure designed to conceal illegal activities, to use taxpayer and tax-exempt dollars for partisan political purposes, and to distract investigators. Structurally, ACORN is a chess game in which senior management is shielded from accountability by multiple layers of volunteers and compensated employees who serve as pawns to take the fall for every bad act," the report said.

So there you have it. BHO may be calling ACORN's recent exposure a travesty, but make no mistake about it. He agrees with and has supported every illegal activity this organization has been a part of.

Birds of a feather...

Back to the 80's: The Answers


Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz about the 80's. How well did you do without googling?

  1. Mrs. Mikhail Gorbachev's name is Raisa.
  2. Upon having his schedule torn up, Jeff Spiccoli called Mr. Hand a "dick" in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
  3. The very first video played on MTV on August 1, 1981, was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
  4. Flashdance had every stylista in America wearing leg warmers and ripped sweatshirts.
  5. John Larroquette played the company commander in the movie Stripes, where he enjoyed watching the female recruits shower.
  6. "Valley Girl" was the biggest hit for Moon Unit Zappa.
  7. Clara Peller was the old lady who exclaimed "Where's the Beef?"
  8. Prince Charles married Lady Diana Frances Spencer on July 29, 1981.
  9. "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran was the only James Bond theme to make it to the top of the charts.
  10. The American hostages had been held in Tehran for 444 days before being released on the day Ronald Reagan took office.
  11. A judge had to be appointed to the bench. Of all the judges on the list, Judge Harold T. Stone was the only one home to answer the phone, so he got the job.
  12. Pepsi pulled their sponsorship of Madonna's tour that year after an uproar over the imagery in her video for "Like a Prayer."
  13. Lech Walesa later became president of Poland in the 1990's.
  14. The U.S. boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
  15. "Thriller" cost an estimated $1 million to make, while Madonna's "Express Yourself" reportedly cost $5 million to produce.
  16. The Japanese in the movie Gung Ho moved their Assan Motors plant to Hadleyville, PA.
  17. The matriarch of the Keaton clan was an architect by trade.
  18. John Hinckley, Jr. became obsessed with Jodie Foster after seeing her in Taxi Driver.
  19. Mike Eruzione captained the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Hockey Team in their defeat of the USSR.
  20. Trick question. While Norm Peterson had a wife named Vera, Cliff Clavin never married.
Score one point for each correct answer.

15-20 correct: Aw, hell, it doesn't matter what you scored. I had a blast just trying to think of questions to share. Hope you enjoyed our little trip back in time!

Think I'll go see if my leg warmers still fit...

Friday, September 18, 2009

Back to the 80's


As a former teenager of the 1980's, I have to admit that in some ways, I'm stuck there. I love the music, movies, and TV shows of long ago. I really wasn't into politics back then. I was just too self-absorbed.

I thought that I'd pop a little quiz on yinz to lighten things up in these times of uncertainty. Hopefully, those of you who grew up in that era will have a few good memories rekindled.

Score one point for each correct answer (NO GOOGLING! That's cheating!):

  1. While Dutch was busy hanging out with Gorbachev, who did Nancy entertain? (No, the answer "Mrs. Gorbachev" doesn't count!)
  2. What was the name of the teacher Jeff Spiccoli called a "dick" in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?
  3. Name the very first video (song and artist) played on MTV.
  4. The movie Flashdance spawned two fashion trends. Name them.
  5. What movie had John Larroquette watching a bevy of babes taking a shower through binoculars?
  6. "Valley Girl" was a one-hit wonder for Frank Zappa's daughter. What are her first AND middle names?
  7. Clara Peller asked what question on behalf of Wendy's?
  8. The world tuned in to see the marriage of Prince Charles of Wales. What was Princess Diana's maiden name?
  9. Only one James Bond movie theme ever made it to number one on the Billboard charts. Name the movie and the artist who sang the theme.
  10. On January 20, 1980, the Iranian hostages headed home. How long had they been in captivity?
  11. On TV's "Night Court," how did Harry Stone become a judge?
  12. What Madonna video prompted Pepsi to pull their sponsorship?
  13. What former trade union leader led the Solidarity movement in Poland which won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983?
  14. Why did the United States boycott the 1980 Olympic games held in Moscow?
  15. Contrary to popular belief, "Thriller" was not the most expensive music video of the 1980's. What was?
  16. What was the name of the Japanese car company in the 1986 Michael Keaton comedy film Gung Ho?
  17. On the TV show "Family Ties," what was Elise Keaton's profession?
  18. What actress was would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr. obsessed with?
  19. Name the captain of the 1980 Winter Olympics "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Hockey Team.
  20. On the TV show "Cheers," what was the name of Cliff Clavin's wife?
I hope yinz enjoyed this little stroll down memory lane, and I hope you didn't find it TOO difficult. I'll have the answers in a post tomorrow.

Until then...

The Big Ben Saga Continues...


It appears that our suspicions about Andrea McNulty could be proven true soon, although her motives could be something none of us saw coming. If her motives prove to be true, she is lower than amoeba poo.

From espn.com:

Motion alleges motive for lawsuit

Comment Print Share
ESPN.com news services

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Lawyers for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said in court documents made available Thursday that the woman who has accused him of raping her at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino concocted the story, in part, to try to shield herself from possible layoffs at the resort.

The woman fabricated the rape allegation against the two-time Super Bowl winner to try to prevent Harrah's Lake Tahoe from terminating her after she had taken prolonged bereavement leave, Roethlisberger's lawyers said.

Andrea McNulty, a 31-year-old Harrah's VIP hostess, has said she was hospitalized for several months last fall because of trauma from the alleged July 11, 2008 attack by Roethlisberger.

The quarterback's lawyers have said the woman's emotional collapse had nothing to do with a rape but resulted from a failed relationship with a married man and then a long-distance relationship that turned out to be a hoax.

McNulty filed a civil suit in July, alleging Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her in his penthouse suite while he was at Lake Tahoe the previous summer to compete in a celebrity golf tournament. The suit says she was hospitalized for several months because she was traumatized after the alleged attack.

Roethlisberger denies the allegation.

After the woman returned to work in November 2008, she received a reprimand after having an emotional public outburst, Roethlisberger's lawyers said in documents filed in Washoe District Court in Reno.

"Plaintiff realized at this point that her emotional condition would not serve as a shield from possible termination. This realization led plaintiff to concluded that she needed more," lawyers said in the documents.

A telephone message The Associated Press left with the woman's lawyer, Cal Dunlap, Thursday evening wasn't immediately returned.

The filing, made in support of the defense's motion to dismiss the lawsuit, included copies of e-mails from the woman allegedly to the long-distance beau.

"Lots and lots of people getting laid off and lots of downsizing and consolidating departments," she writes in one, dated Aug. 21, 2008. "My 'Yikes' e-mail is in reference to me heading into a meeting to find out whether or not I get to stay. I was given the opportunity to resign with a good severance package but the timing didn't seem right so I passed on it and took the chance that I would not be picked to be laid off."

The woman's suit seeks a minimum $440,000 in damages from Roethlisberger, unspecified punitive damages and at least $50,000 in damages from eight Harrah's officials she accuses of orchestrating a cover-up of the incident.

Her lawyers, however, have offered to settle the civil suit if Roethlisberger admits to the alleged rape, apologizes and gives $100,000 to a nonprofit agency that helps victims of domestic violence.