Category Archives: News_and_Views
Whinery: Susan Sarandon and Ted Nugent, Enemies of the State?
You heard about Ted Nugent being investigated by the Secret Service for giving a fiery speech at the National Rifle Association’s yearly meeting, right?
The one where he said stuff that could be construed as “threatening” to President Obama. That is if you have no sense of humor.
Now I hear Susan Sarandon was denied a security clearance to go to the White House and insists her phone is being tapped by the Government. For what? Unless it’s deemed that her movies are a threat to National Security (which outside of her role as “Janet” in the Rocky Horror Picture Shadow and a scene with Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger – is entirely plausible).
Why would an arch liberal like Ms. Sarandon be deemed too risky to go to the White House?
Leftridge: Drunken Online Purchases: MAD Magazine Edition
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If you’re like me, you like booze. It doesn’t matter what kind—we can get into that at another time. And if you’re even MORE like me than I’d care to admit, you enjoy getting on the Internet once you’re drunk and buying stuff.
But what to buy?! Man, there’s an open cesspool of goods to be had. Maybe you had your eye on that thatch of Elvis Presley’s pubic hair. Perhaps your collection will be complete once you’ve obtained a shot-glass full of Patrick Duffy’s saliva. Maybe you just can’t make it another day without a piece of French toast that looks as though Jesus was burned into its grainy surface.
Or maybe, if you’re like me (30 and slightly retarded), you won’t make it without 85 MAD Magazines spanning from 1988-1997. And yeah, your wife will probably be PISSED—you’ve got nowhere to keep them, that money was better suited for a down payment on a wheelchair (don’t ask)—but you can’t help it. You’ve had 14 beers, goddamnit, and $140 seems WAY reasonable.
Leftridge: The Incredible Lightness of Dick Clark
Look, I’m sorry that you’re gone; really, I am. You had a lot of family members probably and this is inevitable at 82 years old and I’m sure that a handful of them are sorry that you’re gone (except those that stood to inherit something. I’m sure they’re probably pretty stoked, and why not?). Point being, you’re dead.
But what did you add, really?
Oh sure, I remember Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve throughout my youth. I remember a man aesthetically youthful beyond his years, a virtual teen foraging deep into his 60’s, as it were and then a 70 year old, and then, unsurprisingly, an octogenarian riddled uncomfortable by a stroke and the damage of time.
You kept giving it your best, however, whether you were under pressure from the Stroke League of America (I’ve seriously heard that this was an issue) or from simple vanity.
Whinery: Why Sporting Kansas City is the Best Team in Town
Had the privilege of attending Saturday’s Sporting KC game with one of the owners, Patrick Curran, and got some insight into why they are undefeated and the BEST professional team in Kansas City.
“Sporting starts and ends with the fans” Curran says.
And after touring the facility, I agree.
More money was spent per seat at Livestrong Sporting Park than Dallas’ Cowboys Stadium and it shows. This fan-centered philosophy of the ownership is what sets Livestrong apart from say, Arrowhead.
Whinery: Questionable Media Coverage and Trayvon’s Death
“But the most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly and with unflagging attention. It must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”
—Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf
In a smear campaign normally reserved for Republican candidates for President, George Zimmerman, the “alleged murderer” of Trayvon Martin, appears to have been thoroughly vilified by a vindictive media.
The “official” story goes as follows: racist white guy, without provocation and with malice aforethought, shoots and kills a defenseless black child… And for all I know- that may very well be the case… But there are some distortions I would like to point out.
Whinery: WHY OBAMACARE AND MITT ROMNEY ARE FINISHED
After two years of wrangling since the passage of “Obamacare,” the Supreme Court of the United States has spent the last three days hearing oral arguments about the “Constitutionality’ of the new law. And being an Esquire, I’ve been absorbed by the proceedings. Using my “superior legal reasoning” bestowed upon me by the faculty at Washburn Law School, here are the two simple reasons this health care law is going down in flames.
Number 1: The law mandates that everyone must buy insurance and if you don’t, you pay a penalty which is collected by the I.R.S. Insurance is contractual in nature and a citizen cannot be forced to sign a contract under duress. If threatening a person who does not buy insurance with the I.R.S. is not duress, I don’t know what is…
Number 2: The Severability Doctrine: this is a legislative concept which allows for one part of a law to be found Unconstitutional but leaves the rest of the law intact. The Democratic Leadership of the Senate- in all their “brilliance” forgot to put a severability clause into the final bill signed by Obama. And without this clause, the Supreme Court can throw out Obamacare, in toto, if just one part is found to violate the Constitution.
Whinery: The Afghan Massacre versus Harry’s War
Was this tragedy predictible?
The shocking Afghan Massacre that reminds me of a certain war movie you may have seen.
“Charging a Man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indianapolis 500.” Captain Willard, Apocalypse Now.
On March 11, 2012, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, “allegedly” killed 16 Afghan Civilians during his fourth tour of duty to a warzone. And today, Mr. Bales is to be officially charged with 17 counts of murder, 6 counts of attempted murder and 6 counts of aggravated assault.
So why does something like this happen?
Whinery: Taking Tony to Task on the True Meaning of Hate Crimes
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Over at Tony’s Kansas City, a Mr. Botello has made quite the hullabaloo about Whites being unable to be the victims of Hate Crimes…
The context being an unfortunate occurrence at East High School. Too make a long story short, a young man of 13 – white and 13 years of age – was set on fire by two black youths- WHO WERE ALLEGEDLY CALLING HIM “WHITEY” among other epithets.
Mr. Botello is of the opinion that this cant be a hate crime because racism is “institutional” and since whites are the “majority” and have the “power.”
In all due respect, sir, what a bunch of crap!
Whinery: Pat Robertson Comes to His Senses, Says Legalize Pot
In one of the stranger developments in the battle to legalize marijuana, comes a new ally from an unexpected source…
Right-wing televangelist Pat Robertson has called for the “drug” to be legalized and regulated like alcohol.
In a New York Times interview last week, Mr. Robertson correctly points out how being tough on pot has led to massive overcrowding in prisons, excessive penalties for possession and billions of dollars being wasted on law enforcement.
The statistics back him up.
Whinery: RUSH TO JUDGMENT, Sex, Lies & Cable TV
The political and media world erupted in a war of words the last few days over Rush Limbaugh’s comments about a Georgetown Law Student- a “Miss” Sandra Fluke…
Starting with her testimony before Congress on the high price of contraception, a premise in and of itself debatable.
Rush’s now infamous comments aside, who is Miss Fluke and what did she say?
Here’s the part of her testimony Rush focused on:
Whinery: DOES OBAMA CARE ABOUT GAS PRICES?
Every now and then an Obama Administration Official says something completely idiotic and insensitive…
Earlier this week Obama’s Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, when asked whether the goal of the Administration was to lower the price of gas, answered “No.”
How out of touch is this guy?
With his chauffered government vehicles and private planes paid for by “We, the People,” it’s clear that he appears uneffected.
Now let’s take the time machine back and find out why Mr. Chu is so indifferent to the plight of average Americans.
Mermaid: Passing of Parents a Time for Reflection
As many of you know, both my parents died in the past few months…
It was sudden, traumatic, exhausting, and extremely sad.
I’ve run the gamut of emotions from shock and disbelief to numbness and anxiety. I’ve cried myself to sleep and balled my eyes out at stoplights in the middle of the day.
I’ve dealt with the extremes of hospital life to the finality of hospice care. My life went from mostly normal to extreme chaos in a matter of days.
And through it all a funny thing seems to be happening……
As the fog begins to clear, the world looks different through new eyes. You begin to face your own mortality and realize every day really could be the last.
Whinery: Bill Cosby & KC Mayor Sly James Tell Urban Youth, Time to Measure Up
This past Friday legendary performer Bill Cosby give a lecture to the students at Kansas City’s Ruskin High School on the state of the black community…
The refreshing viewpoint Mr. Cosby brings to the table is the preaching of personal responsibility as opposed to blaming every problem blacks face on racism and slavery. In contrast to the Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton’s of the World.
Mr. Cosby didn’t sugar-coat the problems facing black youth.
He told the kids to “pull up their pants, learn proper English, go to the library and work hard in school” if they want to succeed. He was also very critical of rap music with its negative portrayals of women and its glamorous portrayal of the drug trade.
I couldn’t agree more.
Whinery: RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT?
Lets get one thing straight…
I’m not a Ron Paul supporter and will probably join the thousands of Americans who write-in Mickey Mouse for President when casting my ballot this November. That being said- I find Mr. Paul to be a most interesting candidate.
I saw Paul’s speech at Union Station Saturday night and it was a barn burner.
He identifies a lot of the issues that Americans are disturbed by and which are fueling the Tea Party & Occupy Wall Street protest movements.
Here are three major issues I’d like to address:
Whinery: Whitney Houston & The Drug War
Having just watched the funeral of this legendary performer I can’t help but wonder if the way society treats drug addiction didn’t somehow contribute to her death…
Drug addiction is a public health issue that is primarily handled by the criminal justice system. Instead of throwing addicts into rehab we throw them in prison, which makes no sense whatsoever. A lot of people are of the opinion that drugs are evil, that they cause crime and ruin lives- all of which are true but isn’t because they are criminalized?
By making drugs illegal the prices are artificially inflated, the proceeds are used to fund criminal enterprises and billions are being wasted in the “Prison- Industrial Complex” warehousing people that are sick and not necessarily criminal.
What if drugs were decriminalized, taxed and addicts were rehabilitated instead of incarcerated?
Whinery: Beware the School Lunch Police
Just when you thought the “Nanny State” couldn’t get any bigger…
Are you ready for your child’s sack lunch to come under scrutiny? By a government inspector, that is. And you wonder why the government is bankrupt.
North Carolina deemed that a lunch consisting of a turkey & cheese on wheat sandwich, a banana, apple juice and potato chips did not meet the “nutritional requirements.”
Incidentally, this was exactly the same lunch I packed for a six year old today.
So what was the Inspector’s recommendation?
Whinery: OBAMA COUTURE ROCKS GOP FASHIONISTAS’ WORLDS
Fashion forward Obama supporters can now flaunt their fervor by sporting high-end gear such as T-shirts, tote bags, scarves, dog bowls and sweaters- even nail polish!
The mastermind behind the “Runway to Win” project: Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who solicited top designers like Mark Jacobs, Vera Wang and others to donate their time and talent to raise money for Obama’s 2012 re-election effort.
Not surprisingly, Republicans are crying foul, saying the effort violates campaign finance laws.
I think they’re just jealous.
Mermaid: The Dirty Dozen Top Champagnes for New Year’s Eve
The Top 10 (OK 12) Champagnes for New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is coming and you don’t feel like paying 100 bucks to go to a bar for the night but still wanna get your drink on and celebrate the new year or say goodbye to a really bad one.
Here’s my list of the top 12 (just couldn’t narrow it to 10) champagnes I love.
1. Moet & Chandon Imperial (same as discontinued White Star) Approx. $45
2. Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Approx. $45
3.Barefoot Bubbly California Premium Extra Dry (Good if you are on a budget) Approx. $9
4 . Veuve Clicquot Non-Vintage Brut Yellow Label Approx. $45
Mermaid: From Pet Chipping to Human Chipping, The Fix Is In
RFID, I hadn’t thought much about these letters until the recent Wal Mart scandal…
The one where the company is embedding chips in clothing – mostly underwear and jeans – to "keep track of inventory." Radio-Frequency Identification should be something you start thinking about a lot these days.
Is it Big Brother or a helpful chip for times of trouble, such as a bad accident or a kidnapping of a child?
If you are just hearing about this for the first time, listen up.
Glazer: Westwood Greenlights Huge, New Woodside Redevelopment Project
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A major break-through for Westwood and Johnson County is finally happening…
Woodside Health & Tennis has been trying for years to gain approval from the locals to expand its popular tennis and fitness club into a huge complex for high-end apartment living, shopping, a larger health club, children’s facilities, a new lap indoor pool and tons more.
This is huge.
The plan was approved this week to move the project forward. Owner Blair Tanner and crew now have the backing of Westwood to make it all happen. Tanner hopes construction will begin very soon, by this summer.
