Your JV Girls High School Basketball Update

Last night the XXXXXXX High School Girls JV Basketball team ran their record to 3-0, using a barrage of 3-point shots and stingy defense to erase a halftime deficit.



You know...in case you were wondering...

(not my team)

Pearls on Blogging

Yup...this is about right:

Click to make bigger

UA employee to Bob Filner: Take your apology and shove it!

Remember Big Bad Bob Filner, who has a penchant for using his status as a Democratic Congressment to shove people around?




On Monday Filner weasled his way out of any serious legal trouble by using the Alford Plea and was ordered to write the United Airlines employee he assaulted intimidated an apology.

So how contrite was Filner in his apology? Not very:

WASHINGTON – An airport baggage employee who claims Rep. Bob Filner assaulted her after growing irate about his delayed luggage says the court-ordered apology she received from the congressman is “pathetic,” that she is considering civil action and that the courts may have been lenient because of Filner's status as a lawmaker.

Joanne Kay Kunkel, the 35-year-old United Airlines customer service representative who filed an assault charge against the San Diego Democrat, said the stress and anxiety caused by the encounter have rendered her unable to work at the job she has held for more than eight years.

She claimed Filner screamed and pushed past her into an employees-only area in search of his bags Aug. 19 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

In the plea, similar to a no-contest plea, Filner did not admit guilt, but acknowledged that sufficient evidence exists for a conviction. He was fined $100 and ordered to write Kunkel an apology, which Kunkel received in the mail.

Filner's apology? A soul-searching three sentences:

Filner wrote that he is “sorry for raising my voice and behaving discourteously toward you and your colleagues,” Kunkel said, reading the letter in a telephone interview.

“ 'I was frustrated after a long day of traveling,' ” Filner wrote, she said. “ 'I overreacted and should not have done so. Please accept my most sincere apologies.' ”

Filner has said he acted out of frustration because his flight and baggage were delayed and no airline workers would tell him why. He insists nothing violent occurred.

Based on Filner's history, does anyone believe this?:

“I want to make clear that I did not strike, push or shove anyone,” he said in a statement after the court hearing. “Nor did I seek any sort of special treatment because I was a congressman.”

He said he didn't tell the United personnel “where I worked or what I did for a living.”

Of course it's possible that Kunkel is just looking to get paid:

But Kunkel insisted yesterday that Filner shoved her twice near the shoulders – hard enough to cause a person to stumble backward. She also said she believes that a man of less standing would have been forced to face her in court.

“Representative Filner got his day in court, and I got nothing,” said Kunkel, who said she has encountered many upset travelers, but never one as “scary” or “hostile” as Filner.

Is Annika back?

Gosh...I sure hope so!

Screw it, I'm blogrolling her anyway. She'll just have to keep blogging so she doesn't embarrass me...

(Update: Annika claims she is not back. For this we will not stand...)

(Update: Annika is full of it. Yay!)

Dumbass criminal of the day

Police cars have recording devices? Who knew?



Of course what is really stupid is that this guy only got five years...PROBATION.

"How You Like Us Now, Beotch?!?"

That's the question that Bob Parks of Outside the Wire (formerly Black and Right)asks...

(OK, I added the "Beotch" part)

Anyway, isn't this the same woman who has been calling for our troops to get out of Iraq after voting to send them there in the first place?

And now that even liberal rags like the LA Times have to admit the troops are kicking ass in Iraq, all of a sudden...There's Hillary!

A good reason to brawl (updated)

Well...as good as any, I guess:

SAN DIEGO – An argument over the virtues of American versus Australian football led to a fight that left one man seriously injured and two Australian sailors in jail.

The disagreement between the three men, which arose at 5 a.m. Thursday at a party in a home on C Street near 22nd Street in Golden Hill, grew heated and escalated to a shoving match.

Then the American football fan threatened to kill the Australians. The sailors, reportedly fearing the man would get a weapon, then hit and kicked him, breaking his eye socket, said San Diego police Sgt. Kerry Tom.

The sailors were booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the weapon being their feet.

Before we mock the Aussie's about their game, take a look:





And they do have this on us:

1. No pads or helmets. Those guys are tough.

2. No Tony Kornholer or Keith Olberdouche.

I'll still take our game though. Can't imagine the Aussie's pulling off anything more exciting than this:




(Update: More Keith Olberdouchery...)

Joe Horn turns two dirtbags into greasespots...

No...not that Joe Horn. This one:




Naturally, the liberals have gone and wet their panties over this:

61 year old Joe Horn heard some noises next door on Thursday afternoon. With a quick look out the window he saw a burglary in process. He dialed 911 to report it. The dispatcher told him to sit tight, the police were on the way. Instead Horn grabbed a 12 gauge shotgun went outside and as the two Hispanic legal immigrants - Miguel Antonio DeJesus, 38, and Diego Ortiz, 30 - were leaving, Horn shot them three times in the chest from a distance of 15 feet...

Can you feel it coming? Yup! Get ready for the race card!:

First off, this area is about the most Christian and Republican in the known world. It is where Tom DeLay got over 70% of the vote whenever he ran. Shooting unarmed people of color is not only what Republicans do but also what Jesus would do. JESUS KILLS.

And secondly, these Christian Republicans cry rule of law bloody murder when it comes to plying their intolerance and bigotry to illegal immigrants, White House bjs or what have you, but when it comes to shooting unwhite people in the face, that all goes out the window.

Hmm. I don't know if I agree 100% with Joe Horn taking the law into his own hands. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, though I bet there won't be any more burglars in his neighborhood for a while.


But see...in a liberal's mind, Joe Horn should have stopped to talk to and reason these oppressed people of color...obviously they wouldn't have resorted to stealing if society had not failed them...they had no choice....but since the criminals were of Mexican heritage, they were only taking back what was rightfully theirs in the first place...and since they were of Mexican heritage, Joe Horn clearly committed a racist hate crime....

Yeah, that's all good and fine Mr. Liberal...until the burglars are breaking into YOUR house, threatening YOUR family and stealing YOUR property. I for one would be happy to have Joe Horn living next door to me.

Of course if your career choice is "burglar in Texas" there are certain risks inherant with that...and one of them might be that a pissed off Texan gets out his shotgun and blows you away. I don't feel sorry for these dirtbags even one bit.

Happy Thankgiving!

Warmest wishes to all my readers (yes, all 4 of you) for a Happy Thanksgiving!



(No. That's NOT my wife...)


For something just slightly less disturbing, the boyz at TNOYF have a historical retrospective on truths and myths surrounding Thanksgiving.

In it they reference a weak spot of mine:



Since I'll miss the parade:


moar funny pictures

Cyber bullies get a taste of their own medicine

Two weeks ago, the horrible tale of Megan Meier hit the blogosphere. Today the LA Times reports that bloggers are now having a hand at fighting back at the terrible people who bullied Megan into committing suicide:

DARDENNE PRAIRIE, MO. -- For nearly a year, the families who live along Waterford Crystal Drive in this bedroom community northwest of St. Louis have kept the secret about the boy Megan Meier met last September on the social networking site MySpace.


He called himself Josh Evans, and he and 13-year-old Megan struck up an online friendship that lasted several weeks. Then the boy abruptly turned on Megan and ended it. That night, Megan, who had previously battled depression, committed suicide.

The secret was revealed six weeks later: Neighbor Lori Drew had pretended to be 16-year-old Josh in order to gain the trust of Megan, who had been fighting with Drew's daughter, according to sheriff's department records and Megan's parents.

After their daughter's death, Tina and Ron Meier begged their other neighbors to keep the story private. Let the local authorities and the FBI conduct their investigations in privacy, they pleaded.

But after waiting for criminal charges to be filed against Drew, neighbors learned that local and federal prosecutors could not find a statute applicable to the case. This community's patience has dried up. The furious neighbors -- and in the wake of recent media reports, an outraged public -- are taking matters into their own hands.

When I first linked to the Megan Meier story, I had several anonymous comments offering up Curt and Lori Drew's address and phone number. I deleted these comments, because I did not want to become a resource for those wanting to enact their own vigilante justice.

But here the LA Times makes it easy. And since the information on these creeps is out now...

In an outburst of virtual vigilantism, readers of blogs such as RottenNeighbor.com and hitsusa.com have posted the Drews' home address, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and photographs.

Dozens of people allegedly have called local businesses that work with the family's advertising booklet firm, and flooded the phone lines this week at the local Burlington Coat Factory, where Curt Drew reportedly works.

Local teenagers and residents protest steps from their tiny porch. A fake 911 call, claiming a man had been shot inside the Drew home, sent law enforcement officers to surround the one-story, white-sided house. People drive through the neighborhood in the middle of the night, screaming "murderer!"

The Drews, who have mounted cameras and recording devices onto the roof of their house to track the movements of their neighbors, declined to comment for the story.

A question. After what they have done (bullying a sweet and innocent 13-year old girl into committing suicide), why the hell wouldn't the Drews move the hell out of the neighborhood before someone goes nuts and really takes matters into their own hands?

Which I do not condone.

It sucks that Missouri does not seem to have a law that the Drews can be charged under. Perhaps there is a federal statute? Is there a lawyer in the house?

Nut Scratch Fever

Stolen from Laura over at Ace of Spades, this is police brutality at its worst:





My gosh. Let the man scratch his nuts. Any guy who has had this problem knows the hell this guy was going through...

A creative way to pay your child support

How do you pay off $70,000 in back child support? Just use Craig's List and a little free enterprise:




If Travis Henry can't quite make his payments on his NFL salary...

Inside the tiny little brain of a surf "gangsta"

Update June 28, 2008 here
Readers of this P.O.C. blog may be aware that I have marginally covered the Emery Kauanui murder. All the links are available at the bottom of this post, just click on "bird rock bandits."

Bird brained Rock Bandits? Morons...

Today I received a comment from a gutless and anonymous poster that shows the mindset of anyone peabrained enough to defend the degenerates who called themselves "Bird Rock Bandits":

you're a faggot dude. you obviously don't know these people and are going by what the news says.

The commenter then went on to make a baseless accusation about someone involved in the case that seems to justify the murder.



Well....no, I don't know these people. Why would I? I have more in my life than "getting wasted, partying, surfing and womping." Just as a reminder of the kind of moron who would hang with these people, this is from Orlando Osuna's My Space page:

Yup. That's how you "roll". Now you wanna-be gangstas are "rolling" in jail.

As for the commenter...do yourself a favor and get your G.E.D. A couple of courses at a prestigious California Junior College might keep your dumb ass out of prison...

(Update): I just checked the IP address from the "commenter". Turns out the commenter was using a computer at San Diego State University. Damn. I didn't know the California State University System had lowered its standards so much.

Follow the bouncing ball

What a weird ending to the Cleveland/Baltimore game yesterday:



Actually, that didn't end the game. It sent it into overtime. The Ravens had already left the field...and of course they had no chance once they had to come back out to play overtime...

Raising awareness about Darfur

As George Clooney and Matt Damon will tell you, raising awareness about the situation in Darfur is every bit as important as actually doing something about it.

But are we doing enough? Perhaps we are ignoring how critical it is to raise awareness about Darfur...in Darfur:

I think I'm in love

Just whorishly checking my Technorati links this morning, and I tripped across this wonderful little blog...

A sample:

You ask me why athiesm should not be the dominant world "religion". Because athiesm can only truly be embraced by those priveledged enough to choose not to believe in anything. An athiest needs confidence in himself, scientific understanding, and the benefit of being raised by a family with a conscience. Those blessings are not common in this world. We sit in our ivory tower and denounce religion as the cause of suffering, but imagine a world without it. Governments would have to take over the father role for those who can find no inner direction. If your government tires of caring for you, they will simply let you die, or kill you outright. Read your history again.

Yes my love, you can always trust your leaders.

What? You say I am being inconsistent, and hypocritical. That I delight in sins of the flesh, and in abuse of my slaves, and send people over the balcony.

Beloved, do you really wish for me to be consistent? If so I can request that my father arrange for your head to be delivered to me on a platter.

Your silence tells me you are wise.

I have spent the better part of this morning enraptured by this woman's stories and wisdom. I am smitten. Dangerously smitten. Alas, I do not believe I could ever afford her...

Toad Licking and bored on a Saturday night...

Cranky at Six Meat Buffet brings us the story of a boy, his toad and his obsession.

This boy got lucky. Here is what can happen when toad licking goes wrong...

Angry black "journalists" claim Bonds indictment is about race

ESPN loudmouth Stephen A. Smith seems to be unclear on what Barry Bonds was indicted for, while Detroit News columnist Rob Parker ties the Bonds indictment in with Rodney King:





Uh...Steven A.? Barry Bonds was not indicted for using steroids he was indicted for lying to the feds and obstructing an investigation into BALCO. Had he fessed up, sure his legacy would have been tainted but he likely would have avoided legal trouble and probably could have continued his career like Jason Giambi.


Not even being talked about right now...Bonds' little problem with the IRS.


But you guys go right ahead and play that race card.


And speaking of that...we just knew that the Mouth of the South Charles Barkley would have something to say about this:

I don't like it when people play the race card.

And then watch as he does just that:

Ted Kennedy asks the dumbest question evah!

Yesterday, Army Chief of Staff General George Casey had the opportunity to chat with Congress about military funding.

And Ted Kennedy had the gall to ask this question:

Who has challenged our military that have put the military in the condition that you've just described?




ARE YOU $&%@ING KIDDING ME!?!?!


General Casey should have absolutely lit Kennedy up:


"The answer Senator...is YOU! You have been sabotaging our military and drowning (allegedly) young women for more than 40 years, you gutless turd! Now why don't you do the American people a favor and do what you do best...go drink yourself into a stupor and shut the hell up!"

My dream: Just once...I wish I was called before a Senate committee that had Ted Kennedy on it. Perhaps someone could enlighten me, but I don't think it would actually be a crime to say that on the record to the distinguished drunk Senator from Massachusetts...

H/T: Hot Air.

Photoshop of the day...(Updated)

...or perhaps this really isn't a photoshop. Wouldn't surprise me if this really was in her wallet:

From Flopping Aces' Wordsmith who was:

...throwing mud right out of my "Republican Playbook".

After all: I'm a Republican plant off the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Plantation....

(Update): Mary Katharine Ham is freakin' brilliant. And gorgeous. Someone give that woman her own TV show puhleeze!

Barry Bonds is a LIAR? (Updated)

NO!



Couldn't happen to a nicer guy...

(Update) The asterisk tries to distance itself from Bonds...

Colts announcer misses wide right

Neener, neener...neener:



The Chargers may have gotten lucky this weekend, and Norv Turner might be the worst coach in pro football, but let's face it. Peyton Manning is the Chargers' bitch:



Check out the one-handed interception by San Diego's Antonio Cromartie...his 3rd of the game. You won't see many better than this:

The Tragic Story of Megan Meier (updated with video)

Jack M. over at Ace of Spades shines a big bright light on why you might want to think twice about letting your teenage daughter have a "MySpace" account:

Tina recalled telling Megan to sign off."I will Mom," Megan said. "Let me finish up."

Tina was pressed for time. She had to go. But once at the orthodontist's office she called Megan: Did you sign off?"No, Mom. They are all being so mean to me.""You are not listening to me, Megan! Sign off, now!"

Fifteen minutes later, Megan called her mother. By now Megan was in tears."They are posting bulletins about me."

A bulletin is like a survey. "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat."Megan was sobbing hysterically.

Tina was furious that she had not signed off. Once Tina returned home she rushed into the basement where the computer was. Tina was shocked at the vulgar language her daughter was firing back at people."I am so aggravated at you for doing this!" she told Megan.Megan ran from the computer and left, but not without first telling Tina, "You're supposed to be my mom! You're supposed to be on my side!"

On the stairway leading to her second-story bedroom, Megan ran into her father, Ron."I grabbed her as she tried to go by," Ron says. "She told me that some kids were saying horrible stuff about her and she didn't understand why. I told her it's OK. I told her that they obviously don't know her. And that it would be fine."

Megan went to her room and Ron went downstairs to the kitchen, where he and Tina talked about what had happened, the MySpace account, and made dinner.

Twenty minutes later, Tina suddenly froze in mid-sentence."I had this God-awful feeling and I ran up into her room and she had hung herself in the closet."

Megan Taylor Meier died the next day, three weeks before her 14th birthday.

There's a punch line to this story. A sick, twisted, perverted and evil one that had me in a rage when I read it. So read the entire story...

And tell me you won't have the same reaction. I'm with Jack on this one:

It is shameful that the man who wrote this article did not name the relevant parties.

And I'm pretty sure they've earned a spot in hell.

But what do I know? I'm just a moron who thinks a little more Old Fashioned, Old Testament-style vengeance might make the world a better place. Or, at the very least, this neighborhood.

(Update): Fox News has a video report here.

(Update: A reminder...NO Anonymous comments will be posted. Also, although I feel the writer of the article should have published the names of the "relevant parties", I will not post the comments from those who have discovered their names, address and phone numbers. Though the "relevant parties" probably deserve extreme justice, I am not going to be responsible for some crackpot taking matters into his/her own hands. Yes, I am PISSED at these horrible, horrible people...but I simply cannot be the outlet for this kind of information. Sorry.)

Go here for another update.

Dr. William Moody: Tough Guy!

(Go HERE for the latest on Dr. Moody)

Watch the dentist create his own personal space by shoving a 5' 2" woman:



I don't think I'd want this guy digging around inside my mouth after he has a tough time parking his car.

(Update: A reminder...NO Anonymous comments will be posted. Also, I will NOT post Moody's address and phone number. I do NOT encourage any threats or retaliation against Moody and those of you who are suggesting that are bigger A-holes than he is)

It's official: Redford's film sucks...

But don't just take my word for it (and you shouldn't since I won't go see that pile of crap):

Tom Cruise did Lions For Lambs for "virtually nothing" to help kick-start his revival of United Artists. Without that, the R-rated movie starring Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, who also directed, never would have gotten off the ground. Maybe that would have been kinder. Because even with a very moderate budget of $35 million, the political polemic was killed by moviegoers and reviewers alike this weekend, opening to a paltry $6.5 million from 2,215 theaters with an anemic per screen average as well. Even with only a 92-minute running time, the pic even fell far short of the studio's rock-bottom expectations of $8 million.

Tom Cruise ponders the demise of his career

Maybe someone can photoshop me a new movie poster or ad including the following "bon mots":

From the LA Times: Dull and Self-Satisfied!

From the Minneapolis Star-Review: A Waffling Yak-fest!

From the Guardian (UK): Muddled and Pompous!

Cruise explains to Meryl Streep Redford's plan to bore us all to death

Finally, David Elliott of the San Diego UT gives us several great lines:

The movie is like a totem pole for earnest Hollywood liberals still trying to impress their professor – just put your own head on top.

How is it possible that a serious, thoughtful progressive for 40 years, a big star whose directing has shown strength with actors (“Ordinary People,” “Quiz Show”) and nature (“A River Runs Through It”), can offer this canned cram of debate notes? The cross-cuts are a virtual spoof of montage, and the edit even suggests that Arlington National Cemetery is right near the White House.

This jabbering, photographed pamphlet might spark some discussion, but as a movie it suffocates on gas. The modest success is Streep. Her silences outgun the verbiage, and her fidgeting with a thermostat seems a creative highlight.

A free dinner at Rubios for anyone who comes up with that photoshop for me...

Dennis Miller re:Meryl Streep... The Muslim wears Prada

Consider him alienated:



Want to go see a good movie instead of the crap Hollyweird is putting out now? Go see this:

A shout out to the Minimum Wage Crew, y'all!

My brother sent me this e-mail that i'm sure has been forwarded 227 times-over the past few days. It just supports my claim that we need to eliminate the minimum wage, because it promotes career sterility.

We had a "going away" party yesterday for a lady at our Little Rock claim office. One of the supervisors called a Wal-Mart and ordered the cake.

He told them to write:

"Best Wishes Suzanne" and underneath that write "We will miss you".

Would you like fries with that?!

Dude...Why did I get a Dell?

OK, this is embarrassing. But the reason my laptops have all been Dells is this:





I just wanted my friends to tell me "Dude, you're getting a Dell!"


Then the Dell Dude was busted for possession of the hippie lettuce. And believe it or not, I've actually wondered what happened to the guy.


Here's my answer:

Next time you’re at Tortilla Flats and you find yourself wondering aloud to your dinner companion, “What ever happened to the guy who did the ‘Dude, you’re getting a Dell’ commercials?” don’t be surprised when Ben Curtis, the man himself, approaches your table and explains the tequila list. While guest-starring on Law & Order and acting in films like the upcoming Proud Iva, Curtis has been a waiter and bartender at the Tex-Mex spot for the past year and a half, and though he dressed up as the Dell Dude for the Halloween party, he’s not about to repeat the slogan for you. He might, however, give you a free shot. “All you have to do,” he says, “is come and have a good time.”

"Dude...you're getting a tequila shot!"

(H/T: Hot Air)

I feel ya, Stacy...

Ripped off from Still Stacy:

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.

Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100 His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it’s OK. )

6. Teaching Math In 2007

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

Me? I've pretty much given up on trying to order fast food altogether:

Hey Osama...come GIT some!

Just a little fun I had while I was in Las Vegas:




I'm a real bad ass. Look what I did to Bin Laden:

OK, don't focus on the missed shots...it was my first time ever firing an assault rifle. Look at his chin. Bin Laden is DEAD.

(And yes, I put the sentence "Bin Laden is DEAD" in for the gratuitous Google hits.)

Gavin Newsom blows (away) the competition

Congratulations to San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom on his impressive win in yesterday's mayoral election.




Well, getting 77% of the vote is impressive isn't it? Especially when you consider his competition:

The other candidates were Chicken John Rinaldi, a professional "showman";

Grasshopper Alec Kaplan, a homeless taxicab driver;

George Davis, a nudist;

Michael Powers, a sex club owner...

...and Josh Wolf, a journalist and blogger who was imprisoned this year for refusing to surrender to authorities video he shot of a violent San Francisco protest.

("Is some dude with a blog a real journalist?" Heh.)

With all of these terrific choices to run your city, San Francisco, I'm guessing y'all just flocked to the polls.

I guessed wrong:

As of 4 p.m., only 26 percent of the city's registered voters had cast votes, though that percentage was likely to rise to well above 30 percent when all the votes are tallied. Still, the turnout is remarkably low - the lowest for a mayor's race in decades.

Four more years! Four more years!

What would Ike "hit"?

No...not this kind of hitting. The self-proclaimed father of rock and roll offers his take on the terrible toll US immigration policy is taking on the black community:

What about the way that the lax enforcement of immigration policies is affecting African-American men? Will no one stand up for my people’s right to some plus-sized Caucasian love?


Does that make me racist? Nationalistic? A patriot? Damn straight! But even more than that, it makes me an unapologetic lover of all those pale-skinned, Reubenesque lovelies. To paraphrase the noted poet Sir Mix-A-Lot: “36-34-36? Ha ha, Only if she’s 5′3″.”

BTW, consider this our official endorsement of The Nose on Your Face as the 2007 Weblog Award for Funniest Blog.

The end to the dumbing down of America?

Well...nah. But this is a good start:

In an often spirited display of protest playing out on both sides of the country, more than 1,000 screenwriters -- representing "Lost," "The Young and the Restless," "Chinatown" and everything in between -- hoisted picket signs and chanted labor songs as a long-feared show business strike became a potentially crippling reality Monday.

In their first full day away from their computer keyboards, the Writers Guild of America members scored several important victories. And those who are not on the picket lines -- primarily television's so-called show runners -- found themselves figuratively on the line, wrestling over whether to return to work.

The makers of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "Late Show With David Letterman" said they were suspending production of new episodes. Steve Carell, the star of NBC's hit "The Office," refused to cross WGA picket lines, and Ellen DeGeneres, the host of the syndicated talk show "Ellen," decided against taping her show in a gesture of solidarity.

CBS said production on its comedy "The New Adventures of Old Christine" was halted, and ABC said it was delaying the premiere of the series "Cashmere Mafia." At the risk of losing their jobs, some members of Teamsters Local 399 decided not to cross the picket lines, and that action might have shut down a small number of shows, union officers said.

Hooray. You mean we get a break from the crap the television industry has been shoving down our throats for the last 10 years?


Television writing is so awful now. I watch exactly two shows now...South Park and Scrubs. Each has outstanding writing. But I tried to watch The Office a couple of weeks ago. By the first commercial break I was bored out of my head.

I don't even want to discuss the odious garbage CBS tries to pass off as television comedy.

Anyway...I feel sorry for these poor writers. Not:

"It really doesn't matter what business you are in if the living you make is threatened," Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning author of "Chinatown" said outside Sony."

A strike is like war in a way: Nobody wins but they are also sometimes unavoidable. I guess this is unavoidable."

Picketing alongside Towne was a fellow Oscar winner, writer and director Paul Haggis. The "Crash" filmmaker called the current dispute with producers "another example of corporate greed." He accused them of trying to "shut down the entire town," and said he was prepared to walk the picket line for as long as it took.

Although top screenwriters like Haggis can make as much as $250,000 a week, many WGA members collect middle-class wages and can go months between jobs; the threat of an extended work stoppage could have grave consequences for the industry's lesser lights.

Comparing this strike to a war? Decrying the big bad corporations who pay them up to $250K a week?



What a bunch of morons...

I need a break...(Updated throughout vacation)

Last week pooped me out. I need some R&R...

Leaving tomorrow to play some golf and go here:



If I can just get that dance down...



Update 11/1 11:50am: And the vacation is off to a roaring start! Stopped in Victorville on the way to Las Vegas to play a round of golf...

I walked on and played with 3 older men. I say "men" instead of "gentlemen" because after the 3rd hole I am walking back to my cart to put my clubs away and I hear:

"#$&% YOU!"

"No, #$%& YOU, mother$#%&er!"

The next thing I know the 60 year old guy named "Dave" (actual name) has 75-year old Donnie (actual name) on the ground and he is beating the crap out of him.

So instead of finishing a relaxing round of golf on a gorgeous day, I am waiting here in the golf course restaurant waiting for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. to show up. I hadn't planned on being a witness to an assault.

Hope Vegas works out better than this...

12:20pm: Good thing the Mayor of Victorville is out playing golf on Thursday. The Sheriff still had not arrived when he came to check in for his round...he got on his cellphone and told someone to "get a #$%&ing squad car out here". The Sheriff arrived 2 minutes later.

They sure love their F-bombs here in the high desert.

12:25pm: Well, that was fast. Sheriff took a quick statement, and my contact information and I am free to continue on to Las Vegas.

I was 3 over par when I finished today. I think I'll assume I would have finished that way, so I'm carding a "75".

11/2 9:25pm: Imagine my surprise when I found out that this guy was still alive:



Caught his show at the Nugget. Enh. Typical cheesy Vegas show that totally played to the geriatric crowd. We were probably the youngest group in the house. But what do you want for $32?

Hillary gets nailed by someone other than Bill...(updated, bumped)

Watch her get tag-teamed by Tim Russert and Chris Dodd:



From Bryan Preston at Hot Air:

Let’s call this Exhibit A in the case against Hillary Clinton for president. In the following clip we see her radicalism, her shrillness, her inability to finesse a tough question, and her condescension to her opponents. Tim Russert asks if she still thinks that NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to provide drivers licenses for the state’s illegal aliens “makes a lot of sense.” She says yes, then no, then dodges a couple of bullets from Chris Dodd, who came off sounding quite reasonable on the question, blames Bush and comes off sounding like a thin-skinned harpy...

(Update): Scrappleface correspondent Scott Ott brings to light another aspect of Hillary's immigration plan:

“Giving a pre-documented immigrant a license to fly a jumbo jet would certainly bring him out of the shadows,” said Sen. Clinton. “In addition, since the flight certificate requires fluency in English, it would inspire him to learn one of our nation’s most important languages. So there’s a big potential upside.”

Read all of the report here.

San Diego Keeps Getting Burned (updated, bumped)

"America's Finest City" is long way from healing from the devastating fires that overcame us last week and ravaged many from Otay to Oceanside. By the amount of havoc and damage caused from the fires, it's amazing that the death toll and the number of injuries were so infinitesimal. The fires came without much warning, but the reaction and response time to evacuate and find a safer place was quite expedient, considering the circumstances. After assessing the carnage a week later, it came as no surprise to me who the affected parties are that suffered burn injuries from the fires: ILLEGAL ALIENS. So now, the Tax-Payer is compounded the additional costs of treating the wounds of those that shouldn't have been here in the first place; San Diego gets burned again. I can guarantee you that most people living here legally don't believe that we, the tax-paying citizens of San Diego should be footing the bill for these burn victims. But, we are a nation that is governed by the rule of law (no matter how hackneyed the law may be), so we're forced to pay for the care of anyone who comes here, regardless of their ability to pay. I ask this question to every citizen: Why can't these people be transported to a hospital in Tijuana for treatment? Certainly there are burn units that can provide adequate care for their own citizens in Tijuana, let alone anywhere in Mexico. Enough of the excuses from the "advocates" for those that come here illegally.

(From Nigel:Update): Via Hot Air, San Diego's KUSI TV reports that the UCSD burn center will attempt to get funds for the care of these illegal aliens through the Mexican government. Good luck with that...:

Ann Coulter crushes Alan Colmes

Alan calls Ann an anti-semite for quoting the Bible. Bad move, dude...




HT to Yeah, Right, Whatever.