Gratitude (Update)

update to this.

She goes to jail.

Listen, Darlin', you can whine all you want about the gummint getting into your business, but you let them into your business when you had them pay for your kids. No judge is asking me who visits my apartment because Hillsborough County isn't paying my rent.

The only gummint employee getting into my business is my VA doctor.

What offended me the most..

...about Charlie's speech.

"God my Father?" I don't like it when politicians who actually have Christ as their Savior get all Jesusy on the stump, so I really despise it when this pandering votewhore all of a sudden gets religion.

Notice the cheers when Charlie mentioned saving schools. A lot of teachers union hacks out there. Better to have them at a Crist speech than in the classroom raping their students.

Today is Cristmas Day!

Or St. Cristpian Day (We few, we happy few, we band of moderates). Today Charlie decides and according to FOX and others:

Fox News has learned that Charlie Crist has decided and plans to announce that he is running as an Independent for the U.S. Senate. The official announcement is scheduled at 5pm in St. Petersburg, Florida tomorrow.

Crist has said that under no circumstance would he drop out of the race, saying he will do what is best for the voters of Florida. Crist says Republicans in Washington want him to stay in the Republican party but voters in Florida have told him they want him to run as an Independent.

What voters, Charlie? Like everything else about you, the great demand for you to run as an indi is fake. As of yesterday you were trying to cut a deal with the White House.

Charlie Crist, soon to be independent Senate candidate from Florida, tried to reach White House chief of staff Emanuel through intermediates. WH refuses to take the call. Dems plan big talent/money blitz for Kendrick Meek. BTW: Obama's approval rating in FL is in high 40s, per internal Dem polling.

Marco already has a video up to remind us of what Charlie may have forgotten.

It is wrong for me to love this so much!

Gratitude...

...or lack thereof.

From the start, Angel Adams has blamed the system.

The government hasn't given her enough food or money to deal with her 15 children, she says. Last week, she and 12 of those children - ranging from 11 years to 6 months - were living in a motel room with little food and dirty clothes.

So the government helped even more.

The Department of Children & Families has arranged for temporary housing, rent-free, in a six-bedroom home. Hillsborough Kids Inc. paid the more than $6,000 she owes to the Tampa Housing Authority, and the authority cut short a five-year ban on Adams so she can move in to a new home. The kids have new clothes and shoes.


On Monday, Adams was told to quit complaining and start helping herself.

"The mother has been less than gracious in accepting any of the help that (Hillsborough Kids) has been providing," Nick Cox, regional director for DCF, said Monday. "In fact, I think there has been a certain level of anger that she has exhibited to them, not to mention the sheriff's office."

Let me tell you of the two areas in my life where I am receiving aid from the American taxpayer. First is my health care at the VA hospital. (Some of you will give me a pass because I am a vet; be advised that my health issues are not service-connected.) Doctors try to motivate patients to take better care of themselves. After going to a few Tea Parties, I am taking care of myself and watching what I eat so that I can lessen the burden my health care puts on my fellow citizens. (I know-I'm a rightwing nut.)

The second area of my life where I am being subsidized with gummint largess is my use of the local bus system. I know that my fare doesn't pay for the entire system, but I am at least being good to Mother Gaea.

The difference between me and the mother of 15 is that I know that the payroll for the VA health system isn't pooped out by unicorns. I am cared for because of the generosity of you folks out there, which is something of which I am very grateful and a little self-conscience.

So please accept my heartfelt thanks.

Thanks XKCD!

Randall Munroe is a funny guy, but his latest is kind of a kick in the head the day after finally going out and buying one of the darned things.

To answer his bafflement - LCD monitor notwithdtanding, an HDTV beats the stuffings out of the poor, pixelly look of our old box, especially when watching the Lord's Own Playoff Hockey.  And good luck gathering 25 people around your cell phone for the Super Bowl.

Having a gayer-than-thou attitude..

Update: I really need to get out more.

...in sports.

Three bisexual men filed a lawsuit in Seattle, Washington against the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) claiming they were discriminated against for not being gay enough to participate in the organization's Gay Softball World Series, The Seattle Times reported Tuesday evening.

The three men who filed the suit, Steven Apilado, LaRon Charles and Jon Russ, claim their softball team, D2, was disqualified from participating in the softball championship because the alliance ruled they were "nongay."

I don't even want to think about the kind of evaluations needed in order to determine if you are gay enough to play in the Gay Softball World Series.

But wait, there's more! In politics.

Veteran Rep. Babette Josephs (D., Phila.) last Thursday accused her primary opponent, Gregg Kravitz, of pretending to be bisexual in order to pander to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender voters, a powerful bloc in the district.

"I outed him as a straight person," Josephs said during a fund-raiser at the Black Sheep Pub & Restaurant, as some in the audience gasped or laughed, "and now he goes around telling people, quote, 'I swing both ways.' That's quite a respectful way to talk about sexuality. This guy's a gem."

Kravitz, 29, said that he is sexually attracted to both men and women and called Josephs' comments offensive.

A straight guy pretending to be bi? What would Rock Hudson think of that? Maybe I am a male lesbian, a woman attracted to other women, but trapped in a man's body.

I really need to get out more.

Happy Earth Day!

Just a reminder from a few years ago that a good way to love Mother Earth is to love the mother of your children.

The Lord's Own Hockey...

...in Liberia.

The booming and controversial used-clothes business in Africa means hockey jerseys can be found sprinkled throughout this war-torn West African nation.

Bizarrely, the authentic hockey jersey has become a status symbol among the poor for its "premium-grade" rating and high price tag ($4 CDN).

"It is tough, tough material," street vendor Evelyn Togbah raves. "If you buy it, you can wear it for 20 years."

The bright NHL sweaters outshine the dirty, ripped and torn T-shirts hanging off many struggling Liberians who are forced to repeatedly wear one or two shirts. More than half of Liberians live on less than $1 a day.

If only deputies were allowed to get married...

I'm not even Catholic and I'm having fun with this.


He was hired to protect the public. Instead, 51-year-old deputy Charles Bullock is accused of doing just the opposite.

A 15-year-old boy told Naples police Bullock sexually assaulted him three times in the food court bathroom while Bullock was on duty.

This story was buried down the memory hole. I was lucky enough to be listening to a Tampa talk radio station when this was mentioned in a news report. I had to do two searches on Google to find this. I can guaranty you that if this were Father Charles Bullock of Collier County FL it would be on all my local TV newscasts.

Please Come to Boston..

...and sweep the Bosox!

At 4-9, including 1-6 at home, the Red Sox are off to their worst start since 1996. Not since the 1932 team went 1-9 at Fenway has a Red Sox team started this poorly in Boston.

The Rays are en fuego, winning seven straight on the road include shaming the Sox in their own house. The starting pitching mowed down the beanbeaters. Big Papi may have to start taking steroids again.

I should enjoy it while it lasts. This team is made for this year alone. At least 4 guys (Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, the closer Soriano and Pat the Bat) will be gone next year.

Charlie picks option #1

Crist vetoes the education reform bill.

Next, Jeb Bush rips into him.

Then Charlie's campaign chairman, former GOP Senator Connie Mack jumps ship.

Quinnipac has Charlie in a statistical dead heat with Rubio in a three-way.

And now a local FOX station is reporting that Crist will anounce an independent run today. I think he's going to wait awhile and let the negative ads and the teachers union hacks do their work. Take a poll and if the primary still looks bad, then announce his indie run right before the April 30th deadline.

I know it's wrong, but I'm loving this.

More evidence that you may have a drinking problem

When you throw up on someone at a Phillies game on purpose.

Captain Michael Vangelo with the Easton Police Department was off-duty when he took his 11 and 15-year-old daughters to the Phillies game Wednesday night.

"When I say disgusting, there was not only insults and vulgarities directed at us, but also beer was thrown at us," Vangelo told CBS 3. Unfortunately, the evening only got worse.

"I actually heard the individual behind me say, 'I'm gonna get sick', then I couldn't believe what I saw. He actually had his fingers down his mouth and into his throat to make himself vomit. He vomited and lurched forward and it was hitting my daughter," Vangelo explained.

Puking up on the daughter of a police officer. I've been to a few Phils games at the Vet vs the Mets, and with all the Mets fans coming down from North Jersey it can get rough in the stands. Serving Ortlieb's in wastepaper buckets didn't help either, but my issues in this area are well documented.

One great thing about the playoffs

The first night, all four lower seeds won on the road.  Brilliant.  Love love love the Stanley Cup playoffs.  And of course, as things progress you get the mighty Playoff Beard, invented by the mighty Islanders teams of the late seventies and early eighties.

This recent example is a paragon of the Playoff Beard - Mike Commodore during the 2006 playoffs:

The flowing red 'fro puts it over the top.  Well played, Mike Commodore.  It's too bad the league wouldn't let you play helmetless just for the occasion.

The Lord's Own Hockey Baseball

Now that the Islanders are officially golfing until draft day, there's nothing to do but count down to that special summer day when the Mets are officially eliminated from contention.

They're off to a great oddball start.  For example, here's April 4: Marlins 7, Mets 6 in ten innings.  Notably, the Mets trailed 6-1 before tying the game.  More notably, NONE of their six runs scored on a base hit.  They got two sac flies, two bases-loaded walks, an error, and the tying run was balked home.  They went 0-6 with runners in scoring position.

But leaving aside negativity for a moment, I want to note this amazing game by Toronto's young Ricky Romero at home against the White Sox.  Romero tossed seven no-hit innings, permitting only two walks.  His only bad stretch was to open the eighth - he plunked AJ Pierzynski and then gave up a homer to Alex Rios.

What a tough exit.  The kid struck out twelve of the first 19 men to stand against him.  Then he finished popout, flyout, walk, grounder, HBP, dinger, and three grounders.  Still, this looks like a terrific young pitcher in the making.  No wonder the Jays felt like they could trade Roy Halliday.

In related news, Victor Zambrano is still available.

Catholic priest pleads guilty to child molestation

Well, not exactly.

Former teacher Stephanie Ragusa pleaded guilty today to having sex with two middle school students.

Ragusa, who taught at Davidsen Middle School, faces up to 10 years in state prison and 10 years of probation when she is sentenced June 15.

She pleaded guilty to three counts of lewd and lascivious battery in a March 2008 case involving a 14-year-old boy.

She also pleaded guilty to two counts of having unlawful sex with a minor in an April 2008 case involving a 16-year-old boy.

Both boys were students at Davidsen Middle.

Just making my point. And here's more news about the Tampa Bay teacher abuse scandals

Charlie's options...

..since Rubio is beating him like a rented mule (57%to 28%)

April has been the cruelest month for Charlie. First, moderate Republican Rudy Guiliani endorsed Rubio. (That's what you get for endorsing McCain at the last minute in the 2008 Florida Presidential primary. And McCain won't come to your rescue - he's too busy pretending to be a conservative in his own primary).

Second, an education reform bill that the teacher union hates and Jeb Bush loves is on his desk to be signed into law. Charlie (of course) can't make up his mind to sign it or veto it.

Third, this Rassmussen poll comes out which is devastating to his campaign.

Fourth, Mario killed him in fundraising last quarter $3.6 to $1.1 million.

Charlie has till April 30th to decide whether to stay in the GOP primary or run as an independent. Here are his options:

1. Veto the education bill and amnounce an independent run as governor. He will have to after Jeb Bush endorses Rubio in the primary. He still loses, but has a better chance of winning if it's discovered the Rubio has a girlfriend in Argentina. Going independent will severly damage a future run for president as a GOPer.

2. Sign the bill into law which may keep Jeb out of the primary. Hope that the Argentine girlfriend turns up before August 24th.

3. Call Rubio and offer to drop out of the race if Marco will promise to endorse Charlie vs. Bill Nelson for the other Senate seat in 2012. Nelson can be beat by any Republican who is sane and to the right of Nelson Rockefeller.

I know that Jesus would not derive the kind of pleasure I am from the misfortunes of our governor. But this weasel has been hugging the middle for so long it is a joy to see him finally pinned down.

Thanks for chiming in

The poll widget was new, so I decided what the heck, give it a try.  I'm pleased to see that the yeas outweighed the single "nay."  I may run another one sometime, we'll see.  Maybe I'll run a poll asking what poll to run, if I'm in a metatextual mood.

Now they tell us take it back

Sorry, Spider... the narrative must endure.

In a sex abuse scandal that some victims compare to what happened in the Catholic Church, at least 36 swimming coaches have been banned for life by the USA Swimming organization over the last 10 years because of sexual misconduct with teenagers they coached.

Yup... that's the lead.  The comparison is not incorrect, and that's the horror and shame of it - but the lead?  "Hey, thousands of young girls are being exploited by scumbag swim coaches, let's have a go at the Church!"

And you know who else is to blame?

A San Jose swimming coach, Andy King, 62, was sentenced to 40 years in prison last year after authorities discovered a pattern of sexual abuse that stretched over three decades up and down the West Coast and involved more than a dozen teen female victims.
...
King's lawyer, Jamie Harley, said some of the responsibility belongs to the swimmers' parents whose ambition for their children blinded them to the problem.

You know, the parents whose questions kept forcing this hideous man to flee from town to town despite his skill at actually coaching.


You know who's not to blame?  USA Swimming.

In 2008, USA Swimming gave King a clean bill of health, saying his background screening had been approved.

...
According to USA Swimming, the organization only checks for criminal convictions and does not include background interviews or investigations with local police.
...
"We want to have the gold standard and I think we do an awesome job," said USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus. "I don't think we're perfect.

Hmmmm.  So instead of calling this guy out, they call out the Church, even though her scandals are decades old and this has just happened.  And that "victims say" lead?  There is not a single quote anywhere in this article from a victim talking about the Catholic Church... not a one.  So, was that a victim's quote, or something the author decided needed to be said?

Now they tell us

It's not a Catholic thing.

"We don't see the Catholic Church as a hotbed of this or a place that has a bigger problem than anyone else," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "I can tell you without hesitation that we have seen cases in many religious settings, from traveling evangelists to mainstream ministers to rabbis and others."

Here in Tampa Bay, we don't worry about the priests. Your 14-year-old son is more at risk of being raped by his female public schoolteacher.

Dear God...

....they are coming here!

If you aren’t familiar with Westboro Baptist Church, they are a hate group known for targeting their hatred towards gays and lesbians. They are led by Fred Phelps, from Topeka, Kansas and according to the site’s picket schedule; they plan to picket several spots in Tampa in the next few weeks.

It's a strange mix of events they are protesting. I see no connection between Bon Jovi, Plant High (a public school with a good football team) Tampa Catholic High and Without Walls Church. Apparently there is a connection between rockers from Jersey, good high school football, papists and churches that have female pastors with big hair and bad stewardship of finances.

Actually, I'm a little miffed that my church is not on their radar.

The difference between Deepak Chopra and God..

.. is that God doesn't think He's Deepak Chopra.

The U.S. Geological Survey is blaming day-to-day seismological changes for Sunday's 7.2 earthquake along the U.S.-Mexico border.

But Deepak Chopra, the famed alternative-medicine practitioner and transcendental meditation guru, is pretty sure he knows what really happened."Had a powerful meditation just now -- caused an earthquake in Southern California," Chopra wrote to his nearly 179,000 Twitter followers shortly after the quake.

And then, to clarify: "Was meditating on Shiva mantra & earth began to shake," he tweeted. "Sorry about that."

The epitome of humility!