Corazon Aquino 1933 – 2009
Former Philippines President Corazon “Cory” Aquino has died. She was 76 years old.
I was stationed in the Philippines when she ran her “people power” presidential campaign against dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. The Election was a joke. Marcos controlled everything in the country, including the TV stations. This ensured that his ads ran continuously, while her’s didn’t. I remember that one of his commercials stressed the fact that he was a man and she was a woman.
Marcos was named the winner in the February election, but most people believed that is was Aquino that had really won. There were then strikes, protests, boycotts, and rallies that resulted in Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos leaving the country for the United States, allowing Aquino to assume the presidency. If memory serves, she even took the oath of office before Marcos left office.
The whole thing was weird, goofy, and very third-world.
I once saw President Aquino in person. In October 1987, members of the New People’s Army (NPA) launched simultaneous attacks against American service members outside Clark Air Base. It was late in the afternoon when people were leaving work and going home. A lot of people stationed at Clark Air Base lived off-base. One of the people killed that day was a guy from my squadron. He was shot in the head getting out of a Jeepney in front of McDonalds. At his memorial service, President Aquino walked right past me while she was making her way to the front of the church. None of us knew that she was going to attend.
I’d like to say that the Philippines was a better place with Aquino as president, but that would be a lie. If anything, the place was worse with her in charge.
David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez reportedly on the 2003 list of steroid users
The New York Times is reporting that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the players that tested positive for steroids in the confidential “anonymous” performance enhancing drugs (PED) test in 2003. Both players were with the Boston Red Sox and contributed greatly to Boston’s championship seasons of 2004 and 2007.
As it turns out, these tests weren’t very confidential or anonymous. From the article:
Baseball first tested for steroids in 2003, and the results from that season were supposed to remain anonymous. But for reasons that have never been made clear, the results were not destroyed and the first batch of positives has come to be known among fans and people in baseball as “the list.” The information was later seized by federal agents investigating the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes, and the test results remain the subject of litigation between the baseball players union and the government.
Ortiz is now acting as though this is the first time he is learning that he tested positive in 2003, though it was reported earlier that the players that tested positive were informed by their union when federal agents seized the results.
So what does this actually mean? In my opinion, absolutely nothing. Major League Baseball didn’t ban anabolic steroids until 2004. These test results were from 2003.
The ironic thing is that David Ortiz is one of the few players have come out and been critical of those using PEDs, even calling for a one year ban on the first failed test. Of course, this was before it came out that he himself failed a test in 2003.
Pot, meet kettle.
Who didn’t see this one coming?
It looks like the Obama administration will need to find another way to reward the people who have purchased gas guzzling behemoths over the years. The so-called “cash for clunkers” program is turning out to be just a little bit too popular. The $1 billion set up to fund the program is quickly running out, forcing the Transportation Department to shut the program down at midnight tonight.
I guess the car companies now will have to stop running all those commercials and come up with new reasons to buy their crappy products. Maybe they could throw in some government cheese.
Everyone loves cheese.
Erin Andrews calls 911 because the paparazzi are treating her like Britney Spears
ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews noticed a vehicle with two men inside parked outside her Georgia home last week and placed a call to 911. Evidently her local police department told her to call 911 if and when she noticed paparazzi lurking outside her home. She has been in the news lately because of a video tape floating around online showing her in a hotel room not wearing her clothes. Reportedly, the video was shot through the peephole and without her knowledge.
I haven’t seen the video and I have absolutely no desire to do so. The only thing creepier than filming a woman without her consent through a hotel room peephole is wanting to watch the resulting video.
Last I heard, there are more than enough women on the Internet who actually want people to see them naked. Why stoop to filming a woman without her knowledge or consent?
Anyway, TMZ has the actual audio of the 911 call and Deadspin published the transcript:
Dispatcher: DeKalb 911. What’s the address of your emergency?
Andrews: Um, I was in the news recently about being in a hotel naked, and I have paparazzi outside my window, and I was told by law enforcement that if I did to call 911.
Dispatcher: Do you want to meet with an officer?
Dispatcher: Do you want to meet with an officer, ma’am, when they come out?
Andrews: Yeah, these guys are sitting in a car outside my house right now. I would like to tell the officer to have them leave because the cops have told me to call 911 if they’re outside my house.
Dispatcher: And what’s your name?
Andrews: My name is Erin. My last name is Andrews. I’m all over the news right now.
Dispatcher: I’m not familiar.
Andrews: I’m the girl that was videotaped without her knowing, without her clothes on in the hotel.
Dispatcher: Really?
Andrews: And I’ve got two assholes sitting outside my house.
Dispatcher: I’m so sorry.
Andrews: I am, too. Thank you.
Dispatcher: We’ll send someone out. What kind of vehicle are they in?
Andrews: They’re in a RAV, a white RAV4. I’m in a gated community, and I don’t know how they got in. Mom, can you see their license plates? It’s a handicap license plate they have. What’s the license plate number?
Dispatcher: What’s the tag number?
Andrews: We’re trying to see. Do you see it, Mom? OK, I’m gonna try and go to another room and see if I can read it. I can’t believe these jerks are knocking on my door. Fucking assholes. Mom, you’re totally being obvious.
Dispatcher: Are they black, white or Hispanic?
Andrews: What?
Dispatcher: Are they black, white or Hispanic?
Andrews: They’re both white males. I think it’s — they know I’m here, ’cause I have a car out front. So they know I’m inside. I have private security that I’m working with, but they’re not with me currently, and they said call 911. OK, here’s the license plate. It’s a handicap license plate for Georgia.
Andrews: They’re looking at me through my window.
Dispatcher: Are you OK?
Andrews: Yeah, I’m just — I did nothing wrong, and I’m being treated like fucking Britney Spears, and it sucks. I’m sorry.
Dispatcher: OK, the first available unit will see you as soon as possible.
Andrews: Thanks. Do you know how far they’re out?
Dispatcher: No. They should be in — they’ll be here as soon as possible.
Andrews: OK.
Dispatcher: OK, thank you.
Andrews: Thanks.
Next time she calls 911 and wants to the police to come in a hurry, she needs to tell the operator that the two guys sitting in the car out in front of her house are having the gay sex and are selling crack cocaine to special needs children.
She needs to jazz up the story a bit.
Who’s to say that they weren’t having the gay sex? They are the paparazzi.
If you thought Philly Fan had finally lost it’s thug reputation…
David Sale, 22, of Lansdale, Pennsylvania was kicked to death in a brawl at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park Saturday after a Phillies-Cardinals game.
From NBC Philadelphia News:
The North Penn High School grad was held down by at least two men and kicked repeatedly in the head by a third man, officials said. When police arrived at the scene, Sale was “unresponsive.” He was pronounced dead at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania around 7 p.m. Saturday. The beating was so severe that his face was unrecognizable, police sources said.
Sale’s death was the very violent end to a fight that began in a bar inside the ballpark late in the Phillies-Cardinals game, according to police.
The argument started between two groups — a bachelor party of eight guys and a bar tour from Fishtown of 30 guys — inside McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon at the ballpark. Bar staff removed the crowd, but the pack quickly moved over to parking lot “M” at 7th Street and Pattison Avenue and continued the melee.
Charles Bowers, James Groves, and Francis Kirchner are being charged with murder. Reportidly, this all started over spilled beer. That’s something they won’t have to worry about in prison, someone spilling their beer.
I was starting to think that Philly Fan had finally lost it’s bad reputation. Maybe Skip Bayless was right.
The NFL sort of reinstates Michael Vick
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has conditionally reinstated quarterback Michael Vick. From ESPN:
Vick, free after serving 18 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring, was reinstated with conditions by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday.
Vick can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games — if he can find a team that will sign him. A number of teams have already said they would not.
Once the season begins, Vick may participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19) at the latest.
I don’t really see the point in this. Either Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL or he shouldn’t. I don’t really see the point of suspending him from playing in the first six games of the season. Does Goodell think that Vick hasn’t been punished enough? The man spent 18 months in federal prison. I think that’s punishment enough.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m no fan of dogfighting or the people that engage in it. I think it’s a disgusting and barbaric activity. I think killing animals for entertainment is wrong, whether it’s dogfighting or bullfighting.
I just think people need to dial down the public outrage when it comes to Michael Vick.
Bush considered sending U.S. troops to Buffalo
Just when I thought the Bush administration couldn’t have been worse, it turns out that it could have been worse. Much worse. According to the New York Times, Bush seriously considered sending U.S. troops into a Buffalo area neighborhood to apprehend the Lackawanna Six.
From the New York Times:
Top Bush administration officials in 2002 debated testing the Constitution by sending American troops into the suburbs of Buffalo to arrest a group of men suspected of plotting with Al Qaeda, according to former administration officials.
Some of the advisers to President George W. Bush, including Vice President Dick Cheney, argued that a president had the power to use the military on domestic soil to sweep up the terrorism suspects, who came to be known as the Lackawanna Six, and declare them enemy combatants.
Mr. Bush ultimately decided against the proposal to use military force.
The absurdity if all this is that there was absolutely no reason to even think of doing this. We dedicate a massive amount of our resources towards having civilian domestic law enforcement. Not only do we have civilian police at the local and state level, we have law enforcement at the federal level such as the FBI. We spend billions of dollars a year to have civilian law enforcement in this country, one of the main reasons is so that we don’t have to have our military going around the country acting as a police force.
I have to wonder, would American troops follow an order to engage in combat on U.S. soil? That’s what it would be, combat. It’s a scary prospect to think that the U.S. military could be used on American soil.
European football comes to Baltimore
Sheri and I went down to Baltimore last night to watch Chelsea Football Club take on AC Milan in a pre-season friendly that was part of the World Football Challenge. Officially, Chelsea won the match 2-1, but real winners last night were the people in attendance.
It was the most fun I’ve ever had at a sporting event.
The seats we had were ridiculously good. We got to see some of the world’s best football players up close. The game began with Chelsea defending the goal in front of us which meant we got to see Petr Cech in his customary rugby helmet fly around like a mad man keeping the ball out of the net. Or at least trying to. He did manage to let one sneak in for an AC Milan goal.
The crowd there last night was overwhelmingly in support of Chelsea. When Didier Drogba scored in the seventh minute for Chelsea, the place went wild. Though many of the fans in attendance were wearing Chelsea jerseys, there were also quite a few AC Milan fans. The fans were very well behaved, very much unlike the fans attending the World Cup qualifier in Washington D.C. this past October. No smoke bombs, nobody throwing beer up in the air.
M&T Bank Stadium is a fantastic venue to watch a sporting event. I honestly don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house. It’s a complete opposite from the dump that RFK Stadium is.
AC Milan’s Oguchi Onyewu got a warm reception from the fans, both from the AC Milan supports and the Chelsea supporters, when he came into the game. The U.S. national player who grew up in Maryland was recently signed by AC Milan. Last night’s game marked only his second game with the team.
NBA player and Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony was there last night as a special host or something or other. He was on the field for the pre-game introductions. The Chelsea players presented him a Chelsea jersey with his name and NBA number on it. Instead of seizing the moment and putting it on, he just draped it over his shoulder. Talk about a missed opportunity. The place would have gone nuts if he had done that. After the game, Chelsea’s John Terry came over to him to get his picture taken. Either Carmelo Anthony is a lot shorter than I thought or John Terry is much taller. Anthony was taller than Terry, but not by much. Anthony was walking around the field after the game wearing sun glasses. At night.
He looked like a tard.
Maryland’s Sideling Hill Exhibit Center to close
One of the things getting the ax in the 2010 Maryland budget will be the the Sideling Hill Exhibit Center. It’s located out in the middle of nowhere where a big chunk of rock was cut out of a mountain back in the 1980’s to make room for Interstate 68.
The Harald-Mail reported that the Sideling Hill Exhibit Center cost $110,000 to operate in fiscal year 2009 and served 95,000 visitors. That works out to be $1.16 per visitor.
Some Maryland politicians evidently don’t want the center to be shut down. Washington County Commissioner Kristin B. Aleshire sent out an email to various officials:
I hope you will agree that the savings that will be achieved pale in comparison to the loss of this unique regional landmark and the economic benefit it brings to the many folks that travel this route for tourism, vacation, and general access to much of United States west of the mid-Atlantic seaboard.
Economic benefit? He’s got to be kidding. This is no “landmark”. It’s a mountain that’s been defaced so that a stretch of interstate could be put down. Let’s not pretend that it’s one of the seven wonders of the world or a work of art.
It has no historical significance. It’s just a big hole cut in a big rock.
People travel this route because they are going somewhere else. They aren’t going that way to visit the Sideling Hill Exhibit Center. I’d be surprised if a majority of them were even from Maryland or going somewhere else in Maryland. They certainly aren’t spending any money while they are there.
I think I’ve stopped there only once. It was to use the restroom. I’ve never understood why the site deserved a state-run exhibit center. It serves no benefit to the people living here in Maryland. Closing it sounds like a good idea, especially considering that the state has to trim $700 million from the 2010 budget.
Google honors the San Diego Comic Con with a special logo
Google released a special comic book related logo to honor the San Diego Comic Con that started yesterday. Not only do they have the fancy logo, but they now have a bunch of comic related iGoogle themes to choose from. My iGoogle page is currently sporting the Superman one.
The San Diego Comic Con is by far the largest comic book convention in the world, not that it’s really even about comic books anymore. The movie industry more or less hijacked the convention a few years ago, realizing that the event was the perfect place to promote their newest projects.
The arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. returned to his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts after being away for most of the summer filming a documentary. When he tried to enter his home through the front door, he discovered that the door was jammed. He and his driver tried to force the door open. Someone walking their dog in the neighborhood noticed what was going on can called 911 saying that there were two African-American men breaking into a home.
Cambridge police arrived within minutes. At this point, Gates and his driver were already in the home. Police ordered Gates to step out of his house. Gates refused and was followed inside by Sgt. James Crowley. Gates showed the officer his driver’s license, which included his address, along with his Harvard I.D. card. Gates was irate and asked the police why they were hassling him and asked if it was because he was black.
Gates demanded Crowley’s name and badge number, and Crowley refused. Instead, he responded by placing Gates under arrest for disorderly conduct for displaying “loud and tumultuous behavior”.
The Cambridge police have since dropped all the charges, but the damage has already been done. Many people are using this story to illustrate the problem of race in this country. In my opinion, this case isn’t so much about race as it is about police misconduct.
I don’t think the police are racists.
For one thing, at least one of the officers at the scene was a black man. Also, sixteen years ago, Sgt. James Crowley gave mouth-to mouth resuscitation to the late Reggie Lewis when he collapsed on the basketball court from a heart attack. I’m pretty sure if Crowley was a racist, he wouldn’t have put his mouth on the mouth of a black man.
I don’t think the cops were being racists, I think they were just being dicks.
Though we still have problems when it comes to racism in this country, we also have a problem with police treating people the wrong way. If they are not Tasering people over stupid, asinine reasons, they’re rude and obnoxious to the very people they are supposed to be protecting. Once the police learned that Gates was in his own home, they should have left immediately. They didn’t do that. Was Gates being loud and “tumultuous”? Sure he was. With that said, I’m sure he would have calmed down if the police had simply left.
Harvard Professor Arrested At Home [The Washington Post]
Ben Roethlisberger accused of raping a casino employee
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is being sued in Nevada for sexually assaulting a Harrah’s casino employee in Lake Tahoe he lured to his room under the pretense that his television wasn’t working. From WTAE ABC TV:
The story was broken on Monday evening by ProFootballTalk.com, which reported that Harrah’s casino employee Andrea McNulty filed the civil lawsuit last week in Washoe County, Nev., stemming from an alleged incident at a hotel room in July 2008.
Roethlisberger is not facing any criminal charges, and it’s unclear if McNulty ever tried to file a criminal complaint before taking legal action against him.
Roethlisberger was in Lake Tahoe playing in a charity celebrity golf tournament.
Because I condone and encourage future cowards
I just got an email from someone complaining about something I blogged about two years ago . It reads:
from: Samuel Saunders
to: rick@bentcorner.com
date: Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 7:35 PM
subject: Your Photo of ChoI was doing some research on my Alma Mater, Virginia Tech and found your photo of Cho – it is quite offensive both to me and to hundreds of thousands of people. Have you ever thought that by posting this photo you are condoning his act and ultimately encouraging future cowards that may be considering such a heinous crime? There can be no justification for leaving a photo of such a wicked individual on your site. The fact that you leave it there says a lot about you and your site.
Sincerely,
Samuel F. Saunders
For the record, the reason I posted the photo of Cho was not to condone or encourage people like him, but to bring attention to the fact that NBC News plastered their logo on his photo.
This is the second complaint I’ve received this month concerning the Virginia Tech massacre. The first one can be read here.
What’s up with these people? Don’t they have anything better to do?
David Beckham gets the reception he deserves
Part-time Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham didn’t get much love from Galaxy fans in his first home game back with the team. Not that he deserved any.
From ESPN:
The 34-year-old tried to hurdle a barrier to get to a group of fans who had been jeering him throughout the match and appeared to make a “come on” gesture. Security had to hold the star back as he tried to get across to the supporters, while one fan had to be stopped from getting out of the stand to confront the star.
A hardcore section of the crowd booed Beckham every time he touched the ball and held aloft signs reading “Go Home Fraud” and “23: Repent” in reference to his shirt number.
Another read: “Hey Becks, Here Before You, Here after You, Here Despite You” while one stated: “Is evil something u are…or something u do?”
Galaxy fans refuse to forgive Beckham first for opting to return to Europe to play for AC Milan and then for making no secret of his desire to stay at the San Siro.
The apparent snub has angered some Galaxy fans, notably a hardcore that sit in the so-called LA Riot Squad section.
Beckham explained afterwards in comments broadcast on Sky Sports News: “I tried to shake one of the guy’s hands but he didn’t want any of it. That’s the way it is.”
Beckham is an idiot. The worst thing he could have done was to let the fans know that their jeering gets under his skin. He now can look forward to it only getting worse.
West Virginia Teabaggers protest against healthcare
The Blue Ridge Patriots of Berkeley County and the Jefferson County TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party held a protest in front of the federal building in downtown Martinsburg, West Virginia on Friday. Evidently they were protesting not against the tax increases to those making more than $250,000 a year, but against the idea of national healthcare.
I just don’t understand Teabaggers. By the looks of the people in this photo, none of them look like they make over $250,000 a year. Do they still not realize that their income taxes were lowered under President Obama? Haven’t they noticed that the amount being withheld in the paychecks for federal taxes is lower then it was before President Obama took office?
They seem to have time during the workday to protest, so maybe none of them work. Maybe they don’t know that their income tax has been lowered because they don’t draw a paycheck.
I often wonder if the people who are against national healthcare have ever been seriously ill and needed medical care. I often have to wait months to see a dermatologist for my psoriasis. Every time I’m prescribed a new medication or a new treatment, I have to get authorization from my insurance company. That often times takes weeks, or even months to get approved. It’s not even a medical doctor who approves the medication or the treatment, but just a person working for the insurance company.
How is that not rationing?
WJFK 106.7 FM switches formats
Washington D.C. radio station WJFK 106.7 FM is making a programing switch. Starting Monday, July 20, it becomes Sportsradio 106.7 “The Fan.”
Afternoon drive show The Mike O’Meara Show, featuring Mike O’Meara, former co-host of The Don and Mike Show, is getting the axe. The morning show The Junkies will remain, once again becoming The Sports Junkies.
The afternoons will feature a show co-hosted by former Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington. Let’s see if he gets hurt behind the mic as frequently as he did while playing for the Skins.
I’m not sure where this leaves Mike O’Meara. Maybe he can go to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and join fellow The Don and Mike Show co-host Don Geronimo on WGMD 92.7 FM.
I’m guessing that has a 0.0 percent chance of happening.
It’s going to be weird not having Mike O’Meara on the radio. I was a regular listener to The Don and Mike Show when it was syndicated to one of the crappy Hagerstown AM stations. I would also listen to it on WJFK when I worked in Thurmont. I had to really play with the radio to get a half-decent signal. Even then, it was normally a little scratchy. The signal coming out of WJFK was fairly weak.
I’ve been listening to the The Mike O’Meara Show via the podcast on iTunes. The show wasn’t quite the same without Don Geronimo, but it was still worth listening to.
Ian Halperin on The Opie and Anthony Show
Link: 
Canadian investigative journalist Ian Halperin appeared on The Opie and Anthony Show today on Sirius XM to discuss his new unauthorized biography on Michael Jackson, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson. The interview quickly turns into an out of control shouting match between Halperin and Opie, Anthony, and regular show contributor comedian Jimmy Norton.
Mostly Ian Halperin and Jimmy Norton shouted back and forth, not allowing each other to get their point across. A written transcript of the show would just be a series of broken sentences and quite confusing to read.
Not that it wasn’t confusing to listen to at times.
The true gem of the interview was when Halperin asked if anyone in the studio knew what the capital of Canada was. I was surprised that nobody knew the answer. I thought it was funny because I once had a similar experience in Australia. At a bar in Darwin, a drunk man who claimed to be a citizen of Yugoslavia challenged me to identify his nation’s capital. I didn’t know the answer. I still don’t know the answer, but the joke’s on him because Yugoslavia isn’t even a country anymore.
Jimmy Norton also made a comment about filmmaker Michael Moore being from Canada. At least I think he did. It’s begins right around the 35 minute mark. With all the shouting going on, it was kind of hard to really tell. That point is, he’s not. Michael Moore is from Michigan. I thought everyone knew that. I guess not.
I thought Ian Halperin came off sounding like a real douche, but then again, he wrote an biography on Michael Jackson, detailing the late pop star’s addiction to prescription drugs and closet homosexuality.
Writing a book like that would require him to be a douche.
16-year old Hagerstown girl found guilty of soliciting the murder of her father
Danielle Black, a 16-year old Hagerstown girl was found guilty of soliciting the murder of her father, Billy Lee Black. Danielle Black asked a friend, Matthew Gray, to kill her father while the two were riding on a school bus.
Billy Lee Black’s body was found the morning of October 31, 2008 behind his house.
Alec Scott Eger, 20, not Matthew Gray, is charged with committing the actual murder of Billy Lee Black. Eger is awaiting a mental evaluation before he can be tired.
Danielle Black never asked Eger to murder her father.
Danielle Black told her fellow students at South Hagerstown High School that her father often physically abused her, though the girl’s stepmother, Andrea Black, testified that this was not true. Then again, what’s she supposed to say? If she admitted that Billy Lee Black abused his daughter, she too would be culpable if she allowed it to go on without trying to stop it.
There’s a lot about this case that bothers me. There’s no doubt that Danielle Black is a screwed up, creepy person, but is she an adult? I don’t like how children can be tried as adults. A person is either an adult or they are not. We as a society decided a long time ago that a person is not an adult until they are at least 18 years of age. Though some 16 year old children are more mature than their peers, I don’t think anyone would argue that Danielle Black was one of those.
If anything, she’s less mature than the average 16-year old.
What some men will do to get out of the war
The things some men will do to get out of serving their country during a time of war. Roscoe Bartlett, my elected representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, avoided military service during World War Two by claiming that he wanted to pursue a career in the ministry, though never actually did. Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger wore a dress and pretended to be a woman to get out of serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Now it appears someone has come up with a new way of getting out of going to war. U.S. Army Major Stefan Frederick Cook has filed a lawsuit to prevent his deployment to Afghanistan. The reason?
Because he believes that President Barrack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States. It’s his contention that Obama was born not in Hawaii, but in Kenya.
From the Miami-Herald:
Cook further states he “would be acting in violation of international law by engaging in military actions outside the United States under this President’s command, and that Plaintiff would thus be simultaneously unable to perform his duties in good Rule 65(b) Application for Temporary Restraining Order 22 conscience and yet be simultaneously subjecting himself to possible prosecution as a war criminal by the faithful execution of these duties.”
What surprises me about this story is the fact that Cook is an officer. In fact, he’s a field-grade officer. This seems like a scumbag move to pull just because he doesn’t want to go to Afghanistan and kill the Taliban.
Why’s he in the Army?
Former health insurance official comes clean on universal healthcare
Wendell Potter used to be the vice president of public relations at Cigna, one of the country’s leading health insurance companies. While in charge of PR for Cigna, he wrote many of the talking points used by the anti-universal healthcare crowd. He no longer works for Cigna and has since changed his mind on the topic of universal healthcare. Imagine that. From the Bill Moyers Journal program on PBS:
BILL MOYERS: Was [Michael Moore's SICKO] true? Did you think it contained a great truth?
WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely did.
BILL MOYERS: What was it?
WENDELL POTTER: That we shouldn’t fear government involvement in our health care system. That there is an appropriate role for government, and it’s been proven in the countries that were in that movie.
You know, we have more people who are uninsured in this country than the entire population of Canada. And that if you include the people who are underinsured, more people than in the United Kingdom. We have huge numbers of people who are also just a lay-off away from joining the ranks of the uninsured, or being purged by their insurance company, and winding up there.
And another thing is that the advocates of reform or the opponents of reform are those who are saying that we need to be careful about what we do here, because we don’t want the government to take away your choice of a health plan. It’s more likely that your employer and your insurer is going to switch you from a plan that you’re in now to one that you don’t want. You might be in the plan you like now.
But chances are, pretty soon, you’re going to be enrolled in one of these high deductible plans in which you’re going to find that much more of the cost is being shifted to you than you ever imagined…
WENDELL POTTER: And [Wall Street thinks] that this company has not done a good job of managing medical expenses. It has not denied enough claims. It has not kicked enough people off the rolls. And that’s what– that is what happens, what these companies do, to make sure that they satisfy Wall Street’s expectations with the medical loss ratio.
It has always seemed asinine to me to have a national healthcare system where a person’s access to basic medical care is directly tied one’s employment status. If you get laid-off from your job because of no fault of your own, you lose access to basic medical care.
With the national unemployment rate reaching the highest levels in decades, the problem is becoming even worse.
I think universal healthcare will happen eventually in this country. It’s just a matter of time. Hopefuly it will be sooner rather than later.
When did LaDainian Tomlinson win a championship?
I saw this book, LT & Me: What Raising a Champion Taught Me about Life, Faith, and Listening to Your Dreams, sitting in the book store yesterday. It’s written by Loreane Tomlinson, mother of San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The book insinuates that LaDainian Tomlinson is a champion.
The thing is, he’s not.
He’s never won a Super Bowl. In fact, he’s never even played in a Super Bowl. I’m sure he’s watched one, but who hasn’t?
If he’s never won a Super Bowl, why is his mother identifying herself as the mother of a champion?
In case you’re wondering, LaDainian Tomlinson didn’t win a championship in college either. He played college ball at Texas Christian. They’ve never won the national championship.
Maybe he won a championship in high school. If that’s the case, why isn’t he wearing his high school jersey instead of his San Diego Chargers jersey?
I’m not trying to knock LaDainian Tomlinson. I think he’s a fine NFL running back – as long as he’s playing in the regular reason. In the postseason, he tends to disappear, unless the TV camera pans the bench.
He’s just not a champion. I don’t see how his mother can write a book where she claims that she raised a champion.
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo has an epic melt down
I’ve had a unwritten rule here at Bent Corner that I would never post two YouTube videos back to back. What good is a rule (even an unwritten rule) if you cannot break it?
On Thursday afternoon, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo while hosting his Mad Dog Radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio had an epic meltdown, going off on his staff including firing his program director Steve Torre live on the air. As if working for Chris Russo wasn’t bad enough, Torre has to experience the indignity of being fired live on the air.
Luckily for Torre, Mad Dog did it on his show which means nobody heard it.
Russo was signed away from WFAN radio in New York where he co-hosted a show, Mike and the Mad Dog with Mike Francesa to Sirius XM last year to a 5-year, $15 million contract. For some unknown reason, Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin thought that Chris Russo would have some sort of national appeal. It’s as if just because something is popular in New York City, it will be popular all over the country.
Supposedly his entire channel is one of the least listened to on Sirius XM satellite radio and he blames not himself for this, but everyone else. In his rant, he talks about needing to travel through America looking for talk show hosts that can talk about the cast from Gone With The Wind (huh?) and the ‘62 Giants.
The problem with the Mad Dog Radio channel begins and ends with Chris Russo. The man is truly an awful radio host. He has some type of speech impediment that makes him sound a lot like Elmer Fudd. He can’t even pronounce the word “radio” correctly. Instead, he pronounces it as “wadio“.
Why would anyone want to work for him, especially after the way he threw everyone that worked for him under the bus?
Jet unplugged on The Opie and Anthony Show
Jet stopped by the Opie and Anthony Show (XM Radio channel 202, Sirius Radio channel 197) and did an acoustic version of She’s a Genius, a cut off their new upcoming album, Shaka Rock. It sounded so good that it makes me wonder, why do bands even record with anything but acoustic instruments?
Sometimes I think simpler is just better.
Did President Obama ogle a young woman at the G-8 Summit?
Reuters ran this photo taken at the G-8 Summit that appears to show President Barack Obama checking out a young woman’s ass. And when I refer to her as a young woman, I mean to say that she is only 16-years of age. French President Nicolas Sarkozy can also be seen looking at the young woman’s rear end it the photo.
The problem is, this photo is misleading.
ABC News showed a video that was taken of the same incident and it’s crystal clear that President Obama was not ogling this young woman. President Sarkozy on the other hand, was. Seriously, check out the video over on ABC News. It clearly shows what happened.
68th day on Humira and these are the results [pic]
As this photo of my left hand illustrates, Humira doesn’t seem to be doing anything for my psoriasis. My last injection was on July 5th. I take my next injection on July 19th. I was originally going to run out of Humira on June 21st, but I was able to order a partial shipment of the drug.
I don’t go see my dermatologist till July 20. Hopefully she will have me stop with the Humira and have me try something else. Something that will hopefully work.
I’m actually wondering if my Humira injections were really just placebos in that Humira is supposed to weaken your autoimmune system. That’s kind of the whole point. The negative side to an autoimmune inhibitor is that it makes you highly susceptible to infections and other similar communicable diseases. For example, I came down with pneumonia while taking Raptiva, another autoimmune inhibitor used to treat psoriasis that has since been taken off the market because it kills people.
Sheri came down with a pretty nasty cold last week. Normally I am the one in our relationship who gets the flu and/or colds, while she doesn’t. I figured since I was on Humira, it was only a matter of time before I started sneezing too.
I never got her cold. This is the first time I can remember her getting a cold and me not getting it.
I’m getting to the point where I have just about had it with psoriasis. Though in retrospect I’m glad that I never bothered to learn how to play the guitar or got into making clay pots on one of those spinning wheels, I wish I had pursued a career in something where I didn’t need to use my hands. As luck would have it, I became an electronics technician. Unfortunately, I am required to use my hands quite a bit. Not only are there many days where I just cannot use my hands properly because the psoriasis is so thick, my hands are constantly in pain.
It makes doing things like surface mount soldiering all but impossible. Working with my hands often causes my fingers to bleed.
I just feel as though I am quickly running out of options. I’ve tried ointments, steroids, UV laser treatments, chemotherapy, Raptiva, and now Humira. What’s next? I feel like I’m getting to the end of my options.
Maryland prison guards don’t like to get strip-searched
From Hagerstown’s most respected newspaper, the Herald-Mail:
Eight people who worked at Maryland Correctional Training Center south of Hagerstown are suing nine colleagues over strip searches conducted last year.
The $40 million suit filed Monday in Washington County Circuit Court alleges that the workers’ constitutional rights were violated through “sexually intrusive, humiliating” and unjustified strip searches.
Court papers allege that the searchers, who found nothing, later ridiculed the victims’ underwear and physical appearance.
A Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokesman says the strip-search policy was later changed.
The lawyer representing the plaintiffs, most of whom still work at the prison, says a nearly a year after the incident “nothing meaningful” has been done.
I’m having a hard time drumming up much sympathy for these prison guards. They were strip-searched because some type of high tech device that detects illegal drugs detected drug residue on them. Drugs are a problem in the prison and some believe that it’s the prison guards that are bringing the drugs in. Go figure.
What I find to be even more ridiculous than the claim that they were ridiculed about their underwear is the claim that the strip-searches were “sexually intrusive.” Really? These eight prison guards perform strip-searches on prisoners. Does that mean they are being “sexually intrusive” when they perform strip-searches on prisoners?
They really shouldn’t be whining about getting strip-searched when they themselves perform strip-searches for a living.
Steve McNair’s death ruled a murder-suicide
From the Baltimore Sun:
Former Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was fatally shot in his sleep last week by a 20-year-old girlfriend distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that he was seeing someone else, police said Wednesday.
Sahel Kazemi “was spinning out of control” when she shot McNair four times as he dozed on a sofa early Saturday, then turned the gun on herself, Police Chief Ronal Serpas said.
Well there you have it, McNair is dead because he picked the wrong waitress from Dave & Busters to be his not-so-secret mistress. He should have chosen one that wouldn’t have gotten all homicidal over the fact that he was cheating on her with another mistress.
It sucks to be him.
I can’t help but think that he’d be alive today if he had simply stayed faithful to Mechelle McNair, his wife of 12 years and the mother of two of his four children. By all accounts, Mechelle McNair didn’t know that her husband had a mistress or a second mistress until she was informed that Steve McNair was dead. She finds out that her husband is a cheating scumbag and that he’s dead in the very same instant. Talk about a punch to the gut. Does she even go to the funeral?
And let the record show that contrary to published reports, Steve McNair was no “warrior”. Warriors don’t let their 20-year old crazy-ass Iranian born mistresses put four rounds into them while they are dozing on the sofa.
Rob Liefeld responds to the gayness of Shatterstar
In a recent issue of X-Factor, two male characters, Shatterstar and Rictor are seen making out. I’m no expert, but I assume this means that Rictor and Shatterstar are now both officially gay.
As luck would have it, not everyone is happy about this new development, including Rob Liefeld, the artist that created the Shatterstar character back in the 1990’s while working for Marvel Comics. Liefeld recently wrote on his message board that Shatterstar is not gay:
As the guy that created, designed and wrote his first dozen appearances, Shatterstar is not gay. Sorry. Can’t wait to someday undo this… Shatterstar is akin to Maximus in Gladiator. He’s a warrior, a Spartan, and not a gay one.
Yes, because we all know that there is nothing gay about gladiator movies.
Knowing now that it bothers Liefeld to have one of his characters retconned gay, I think Marvel Comics ought to turn all his old characters into Friends of Dorthy. They could then inform him that all his old characters will remain gay until he learns how to properly draw feet.
So in other words, all his old Marvel characters would remain gay permanently.
Goodbye Michael Jackson
They held the public memorial for Michael Jackson today in the Staples Center, the home of the 2008/2009 NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
I listened to it on CNN until I got bored.
When I first heard that Michael Jackson had died, I felt somewhat sad. It reminded me of what he used to be and sadly, what he had become.
Michael Jackson was a freak.
What bothered me the most about what Michael Jackson had become was not all of the cosmetic surgery or the bleaching of his skin. What bothered me the most was his predilection for young boys.
I had a hard time wrapping my brain around that.
In 1993, Michael Jackson was accused of sexually abusing 13-year old Jordan Chandler. In 1994 Michael Jackson settled a civil lawsuit with the Chandler family out of court for a reported $22 million. Subsequently, Jordon Chandler refused to testify against Jordon in the criminal case and charges were eventually dropped.
Even if his relationship with these boys wasn’t sexual, and that’s a big if, there is no acceptable reason for a grown man to sleep in the same bed with young boy. That’s something he never could explain to the public and his career suffered greatly for it.
The general public is willing to accept a lot of weird things from it’s musical performers. Being weird with kids is not one of those things.
When did the word ‘midget’ become a slur?
From the USA Today:
Little people are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to ban the use of the word “midget” on broadcast TV.
The group Little People of America said Sunday the word is just as offensive as racial slurs.
Does the FCC ban racial slurs on broadcast TV? I don’t think they do, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to watch the Washington Redskins on the TV.
I don’t see what’s so bad about the word midget. I don’t understand the negative connotation some people have with the word. If I was a midget, I’d be more upset that I couldn’t buy a pair of pants unless I wanted to shop in the boys department. I don’t think I would get upset about the word society has used for generations to describe people like me.
It’s just a word.
The word midget is precise and succinct. Use the word and people know exactly what you mean. On the other hand, the term little people is much more ambiguous. I’m six feet, six inches tall. To me, most people are little people.
Sarah Palin exploring legal options against those who try to guess why she is resigning
Sarah Palin, the soon-to-be former governor of Alaska, doesn’t appreciate people guessing why she is resigning.
From the Associated Press via MSNBC:
The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans has fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.
“To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as ‘fact’ that Governor Palin resigned because she is ‘under federal investigation’ for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation,” Van Flein said in a statement. “This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.”
Shannyn Moore maintains a blog over at WordPress.com, entitled “Shannyn Morre: Just a Girl from Homer“. On this blog she writes about politics in Alaska, including the soon-to-be former governor Sarah Palin. She also appears somewhat regularly on MSNBC. Evidently it was one of her TV appearances that raised the anger of Team Palin, not her actual blogging.
From the Anchorage Daily News:
Van Flein, asked why he singled out Moore, said it’s because she went on national television and talked about it. Moore was on with MSNBC’s David Shuster on Friday, the day Palin said she will resign.
“There is a scandal rumor here that there is a criminal investigation into some activities and that’s been rumored for about, I don’t know, probably six weeks or two months,” Moore told him.
She said she’s never seen Palin appear as nervous as she did at the press conference announcing her resignation and “I think she was actually doing damage control for news that’s coming up later.”
Moore said that there was a rumor that there was a criminal investigation into some activities involving the Palins. She did not say that there was a criminal investigation. She only said that was a rumor that there was a criminal investigation. She also followed this up with what she thought Palin was doing by resigning. She used the word “think” which means that it was merely her opinion.
You can’t sue people over their opinions. At least not successfully and not in the United States of America.
The problem with what Sarah Palin did by annoncing that she was resigning as governor of Alaska is that it makes absolutely no sense. A lot of people are trying to come up with a reason why she would do what she did.
I’m going to miss Sarah Palin.
Steve McNair 1973 – 2009
Steve McNair, 36, former four-time Pro Bowl NFL quarterback, was found dead yesterday in his downtown Nashville condominium. He had been shot multiple times including once in the head. Also found dead was a 20-year old woman, Sahel Kazemi. Her body was found next to him. She had been shot only once. A handgun was found near her body, but it took police a while to find it.
Police reported that McNair’s wife, Mechelle McNair, was “very distraught.”
Kazemi was arrested for DUI only two days prior while driving a 2007 Escalade registered to her and McNair, who was with her in the vehicle. She refused a breathalyzer test and told the arresting officer that she was “not drunk, she was high.” McNair was allowed to take a taxi home.
Friends have said that McNair met Kazemi at a Nashville restaurant, Dave & Busters, where she was a waitress.
McNair played with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans from 1995 to 2005. He then played for two years with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring. He was named NFL Co-MVP in 2003 along with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Payton Manning. McNair had 174 career touchdowns, 119 career interceptions, and he threw for 31,304 yards. He also rushed for 3,590 yards. He had a lifetime quarterback rating of 82.8.
More proof that Image Comics just might be the best
Rich Johnston over at Bleeding Cool is reporting that the entire first issue of Chew will be included in The Walking Dead #63 which goes on sale July 15. The first printing of Chew #1 sold out quickly. The second printing also sold out quickly. The third printing is scheduled, but not for a while.
Copies on eBay are going for a little over $30.
What’s even better, it appears Image is including the entire first issue of Chew for no extra cost. If you click on the image of the cover of The Walking Dead #63, you will see the price is $2.99.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin quits
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced today that not only would she not be seeking a second term as governor, she will be stepping down in a few weeks.
Huh?
This makes no sense and that’s saying a lot for someone such as Sarah Palin. She didn’t step down when she gave birth to a special needs child. She didn’t step down when she ran for vice president of the United States. If she was prone to quiting, you would think she would have done so when either one of these two events took place.
This makes absolutely no sense.
The most obnoxious request I have ever recieved
I got an email last night that ranks right up there with some of the strangest that I’ve received. And that says a lot.
Here it is:
From: Amanda Heckman
To: rick@bentcorner.com
Subject: Google Image Search
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 23:11:29 -0500Please remove the Virginia Tech tag from your article on Cho. His image is one of the first that pop up when someone wants to find an image for Virginia Tech. It could be as simple as changing the tag to “Virginia Tech Tragedy.” I don’t want people to think of what he did every time they want to look up Virginia Tech.
Sincerely, Mandy
I write a blog post about the Virgina Tech massacre and I tag it with the words “Virgina Tech”. That’s what you are supposed to do when you write a blog post. You are supposed to tag what you’ve written with any applicable keywords. It allows search engines to find what you’ve written. It’s considered good search engine optimization (SEO).
When I first read this early this morning, I thought it was a goof. After having my coffee and reading it a second time, I came to the conclusion that it’s actually legit. This person, Amanda Heckman, evidently thinks that she is within her rights to ask me to edit something I’ve written because she doesn’t like how it’s showing up in search engine results. It’s not even about her, nor is she representing Virginia Tech in any type of official capacity. She sent the above email from an American Online account.
How obnoxious is that?
Judge throws out Lori Drew MySpace cyberbully convictions
Lori Drew, the Missouri mother that posed as a teenage boy on MySpace and perpetrated a hoax on a neighbor’s teenage daughter that resulted in the girl committing suicide, is getting her earlier convictions thrown out. From the Associated Press (via MSNBC):
U.S. District Judge George Wu said he was tentatively acquitting Lori Drew of misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization.
Drew was convicted in November, but the judge said that if she is to be found guilty of illegally accessing computers, anyone who has ever violated the social networking site’s terms of service would be guilty of a misdemeanor.
“You could prosecute pretty much anyone who violated terms of service,” he said. The judge, who had delayed the ruling repeatedly, reminded participants that it is only a tentative ruling until he files it in writing.
How about you only prosecute those who violate the terms of service when someone dies as a result of their act?
It’s as though a long time ago we all agreed that it was OK to lie, cheat, mislead, humiliate, and harass someone as long as it was “only” done on the Internet.
Why is that?
Lori Drew knew she was doing something wrong when she went on MySpace pretending to be a teenage boy. She created the fake persona for the sole purpose of humiliating Megan Meier.
Lori Drew’s final message to Megan Meier said that the world would be better without her. Megan Meier hung herself shortly after that. A coincidence?
Hardly.
The Harvey Awards are in a bundle of trouble
I don’t understand the purpose of the Harvey Awards. Wikipedia says that they are given for achievement in comic books, but I always thought that was what the Eisner Awards was for.
The Harvey Awards employ a nomination system based on an open vote among comic book professionals. The top five nominees in each category are placed on a final ballot for a final round of voting. Who qualifies as a comic book professional?
Who knows.
It says on the official Harvey Award website that ballots are sent to publishers in bundles who in turn are instructed to distribute them to the comic book professionals that work for them.
I’m curious to know how many ballots were sent to NASCAR Comics, the publishing arm of NASCAR. One of their books, NASCAR Heroes #5, oddly enough made the top five comics for 2008 in the category of “Best Single Issue or Story“.
How big was their bundle?
Now I’ll admit that I haven’t read NASCAR Heroes, nor do I want to. I don’t remember anyone putting it on their top-5 list for 2008. It is still up for a supposed major award.
I think it’s time to retire the Harvey Awards.
California declares fiscal emergency
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a fiscal emergency to address California’s deficit. Today is the first day of California’s fiscal budget year and it’s looking at a $24.3 billion deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, something it’s not allowed to have by California law.
Unlike the federal government, California must have a balanced budget. In fact most states must have a balanced budget. They aren’t allowed to have year after year of deficit spending, passing a massive debt to future generations.
They have to pay as they go.
As much as I’d like to blame Arnold Schwarzenegger for California’s mess, it’s not really his fault. California simply spends more money than it takes in. California generates most of it’s revenue from income taxes. When people are making less money, they are paying less in taxes. The second largest revenue source for the state is in income taxes. Once again, when people are making less money, they are spending less, which means they are paying less in sales tax.
The problem is, kids still need to be taught, poor people still get sick, and prisoners still need to be housed and fed. For the 2009-2010 fiscal year, California is looking at spending $47 billion for education, $21 billion for Health care and social services, and $8.5 billion for prisons.
Governor Schwarzenegger has a job I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
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