Today was a fairly eventful day even before I returned home and turned on WCBS-DT's news. My last delivery of the day had a name of "Doorman" and a 64th Street address on the work radio. And it wasn't until I made the pickup when I found out who it was going to. Ruth Madoff. The wife of Bernie, as the mailroom guy at the pickup spot verified. I figured it would probably be signed for by the doorman since Ruth Madoff wouldn't risk the stalkerazzi to pick up a simple envelope from a certain media outlet. And I was right, although the doorman looked at that envelope like it was a payoff or something (it wasn't).



I turned on the news after I got home to find out Farrah Fawcett; had died and that Michael Jackson was taken to a hospital in Los Angeles after undergoing "major cardiac arrest". I don't remember much of "Charlie's Angels", but I do know nearly every guy who came of age in the 1970s had a pinup of Farrah on his wall. In real life, she was involved with (although not formally married to, in a violation of her Catholic faith) another actor named Ryan O'Neal. The most telling footage of her death came when Ryan O'Neal approached the stalkerazzi and informed them that "she's gone" and drove off. For the sake of their family, I hope the stalkerazzi doesn't camp out in front of their house or her pending funeral Mass.

By 6:20PM EDT, WCBS was reporting that Michael Jackson was pronounced dead. It took about a half hour for other news outlets on the internet to confirm the story. Despite his sickening personal life, Michael Jackson was a very major force in American popular music, right up there with Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. His 1982 album Thriller (which I still have in my CD collection) is the biggest selling album of all time. He combined music, dance, and the then-new music video in a way no one had done before or since. There are very few people in the civilized world of my generation that don't know what a Moonwalk is or who could name at least 10 of his number one singles.


But let's not forget that Michael Jackson did have a very sick personal life. He was a probable pedophile. I didn't take many liberties when I wrote a parody of his 1980 hit "She's Out of My Life" called "They're Out of My Life"- they referring to the boys of what he called sleepovers. It was another Thomas surnamed Sneddon who never forgot what Michael Jackson did to those boys. And Jackson repaid Sneddon with a snuff song off his 1995 HIStory album called"D.S.".

I would not be surprised if after this Gay Pride Week, Michael Jackson is outed as bisexual. His kids were not conceived the old fashioned way. About the only wife who will admit to sleeping with him was Lisa Marie Presley, although that brief marriage was more of a failed business merger than anything resembling traditional marriage.

But Michael Jackson is gone now. To paraphrase my Godmother (who actually used this saying about her dead father, my grandfather)- It is going to be very weird without him around. And for a week or so at least, the craziest media circus in America won't be in the Senate Chambers of Albany, NY.

WCBS-TV, WABC-TV, and WNYW-TV (all 3 stations from New York City) are reporting that New York State Senate Democrats Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate are joining the GOP coalition, which means that the Republicans have just retaken the state senate (with a 32-30 majority) after losing their narrow majority to the Democrats last November. This new caucus has voted Dean Skelos back to his pre-November 2008 position as Senate Majority Leader. Pedro Espada has been voted in as Senate President, which thanks to Spitzergate means Espada could be the acting governor if something happens to the current governor, David Paterson.

The New York Post and Daily News are reporting that noted conservative Tom Golisano was deeply involved in convincing Espada and Monserrate to dump their support for Democratic Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. Among other things, this means the legalization of gay marriage in New York is unlikely, as the state senate has not voted on the issue yet. The state assembly passed the measure earlier this year.

Of course the Democrats are fuming. According to the Post and WCBS, the lights of the senate chamber were turned off during the vote to replace Malcolm Smith with Dean Skelos as Majority Leader. And (no surprise), Democrats are threatening to go to court to reverse this afternoon's power swap.

Now if only the same thing could happen in the state assembly, where uber-leftist and paid shill for Weitz and Luxenberg Sheldon Silver is the Assembly Speaker and (to use an old Tammany term) boss. Ironically, one of the few things deposed Senate leader Malcolm Smith and the Republicans agreed on was that legislative leaders (specifically, Silver) should not hold paying jobs in addition to their legislative pay. Silver has not disclosed what he currently does for Weitz and Luxenberg, but it is reported he makes more per day as a "consultant" than I make in a week. Of course, no one seems to care that having an assembly speaker who also works for a law firm with major state contracts and who is also an avowed opponent of tort reform is to put it mildly- sleazy and unethical.
WCBS-TV coverage of the Senate "Coup", courtesy of YouTube

I am tired of the monkey business involving Al Sharpton and the New York Post.

First of all, where does it mention or infer President Obama in this cartoon? Only in the sick and twisted mind of Al Charlatan, who is using this sorry episode to try and shut the city's last conservative print voice down.

Second of all, President Obama didn't even write or compose that stimulus bill he signed last week. That work was written by such leftist kooks as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, who last I checked, were still white.

Is that cartoon in bad taste? Possibly. But there are massive free speech rights being attacked here, and outside of the New York metro area, most don't even remember why that dead chimp was in the cartoon in the first place. If is now considered taboo to parody two white leftist wackos as chimps, then maybe Reverend Jeremiah Wright was right.

The DNC finished their convention last night 60 miles north of my hometown in Denver. Obama took the nomination. Plagiarist Joe Biden is Obama's running mate. And hopefully, the Clintons will never again run for high office after being forced by the DNC to kiss Obama's and Biden's posteriors.

Next week, the GOP has its convention in St. Paul, MN. Not content to let Obama bounce up 6 points in the latest polls, McCain rolled out his running mate. It is Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska. This is a huge shock to those who were expecting either Mitt Romney or Tim Palenty to be McCain's running mate.

For years, I've been boycotting businesses and politicians whose actions I don't support. Some of the most famous on my boycott list include NBC and Planned Parenthood. But it is high time to add the world's most populous nation to that list.

Why?

For starters, view the videos below. Many (especially in the Republican Party) thought by increasing trade with this brutal regime after the Tiananmen Square massacre that it would help the millions who were victimized by the evil Communist Party and encourage them to protest, uprise, and eventually overthrow that evil government. After all, a similar policy help bring down that other evil empire called the Soviet Union, right?

Not quite. If anything, the Soviet Union collapsed due to being outspent by of all things the US Military. Ronald Reagan's defense policies may have made nuclear alarmists and the peacenik left go bonkers, but they did indicate to the Soviet Union that we would spend whatever we could to defend our nation against their nuclear threat. It may have ballooned our national debt, but it spent the Soviets into oblivion. By the time the people could uprise against the Communists, the Communists could not pay their own army to defend them against the people, and the army sided with the people (and Boris Yeltsin), and Communism is no longer a force in Russia.

Unfortunately, our trade dollars with China did not help bring down the CCP (Chinese Communist Party, to use the Epoch Times's abbreviation). Indeed, it has had the opposite effect. The CCP is using its newfound wealth to attract the Olympics (whose US broadcast partner I have been boycotting for over 11 years, but for other reasons). And more disturbing, the CCP has been building up their military. If the US spent as much of its budget on military purposes as the Chinese have been doing lately, the leftists would be howling. And right now, the Chinese army has the capability to wipe out most of the West Coast with their nuclear weapons. This is not quite the threat that the old Soviet army posed (enough nuclear weapons to wipe out most of civilization), but it is potentially even greater a threat than Al Qaeda. But the CCP won't launch their nukes yet- they still need our money.

Most people know know about the Chinese atrocities in Tibet. But the main test of the CCP army is that little island off their SE coast- Taiwan. The CCP has pledged to do everything within their power (even to the point of nuclear war) to prevent Taiwan from declaring complete independence from China. Such a war would almost certainly involve the US- and if that happens, I wouldn't want to be anywhere west of the Rockies.

To quote Chinese general Zhu Chenghu in 2005, "if the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory (Taiwan), I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons," and that "we [...] will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all of the cities east of Xi'an. Of course the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds ... of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese."

It is insanity to keep trading with (and de-facto arming) one of the biggest threats to the existence of the United States. At the very least, the US Olympic Committee (based about 8 miles south of my current residence) should boycott the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The United States should halt all trade with China until the CCP is out of power. To continue trade with China and to give any type of aid to the CCP is not just against the ideals of American morality, it is greatly increasing the chances the United States will be in a nuclear war. Right now, the US could win such a war, but as long as we keep funding this beast, our chances of winning such a war decrease. And a US victory could still result in over 30 million American civilians killed (and over 300-400 million Chinese and 20 million Taiwanese). That is over 6 times the worldwide casualties of the costliest war in human history- World War 2.

A few minutes ago, I e-mailed the following letter to David Paterson, who as of Monday will be replacing Client 9 the Job Killer as Governor of the great state of New York:

As a longtime New Yorker who moved to Colorado last year, I have taken great interest in the recent news over your predecessor and the scandal that finally drove him from office. I feel sorry for his wife and daughters because his behavior has ruined their lives and
harmed the state as a whole. I won't go into detail on the other ways in which Spitzer has harmed this state, but since you will be replacing him, I hope you will not make the same mistakes he did.

First of all, don't antagonize the public. Spitzer did and thought he was above the law. He thought he could get away with illegally laundering money, with illegally using the state police to snoop on his opponents (many of whom he created by his actions), and all sorts of other sleaze. Everything I have read about you indicates that you have none of the character flaws of Mr. Spitzer. Right now, you have the moral authority and the mandate to take the initiative on ethics reform in the state. Too many public office holders in New York have been forced to resign because of ethical or criminal reasons. New standards need to be implemented to prevent future Spitzers or Alan Hevesis or Guy Vellelas from destroying the public trust with their illegal actions.

Second of all, you have the opportunity to do something your predecessor could never do, and that is make amends with Wall Street. Wall Street and the financial sector is the biggest economic engine in the state. This is an industry that your predecessor nearly drove out of the state because of his character. If anyone in the industry is breaking the law, they should be prosecuted, but to demonize the state's biggest industry and rally the whole state around those lies because of the actions of a few is downright asinine. Is it any wonder that Wall Street has been in a jubilant mood (in the middle of a nationwide economic downturn) since the Spitzer scandal broke? The laws concerning business regulation need to be revised to prevent future abuses (and pointless job losses) by overzealous lawmakers while at the same time preventing businesses from thinking they operate outside the law.

Also, don't succumb to the left wing's desire to give drivers' licenses to illegal aliens and to expand the state abortion policies. The whole illegal alien debate is an issue that Congress and the Federal Government need to come to an agreement on first. There are demagogues on both sides of this issue, but the potential Presidencies of either Barack Obama or John McCain mean that common sense and a national policy will happen within the next couple of years. Hopefully, there will be a major increase in the number of immigrants allowed to come here legally, and with their legal status, allowed to become productive workers, taxpayers, and helpful citizens of both this nation and this state. But at the same time, only the Federal Government can craft a meaningful policy that also weeds out the criminals and the disguised terrorists that see New York City as their next killing ground. We don't need the state legitimizing someone who is hellbent on destroying it.

As far as the divisive issue of abortion, the last thing the state should be doing is forcing the non-profit groups that oppose it to do what is against their beliefs or else be punished. That is just un-American, and the RHAPP bill S.5829 must not be allowed to become law for that reason. Spitzer outraged the state's largest religious group (Catholics) with his advocacy of this legislation. The last thing New York needs in these rough times is a government-instigated religious war.

I wish you the best in your new job as Governor, and I pray that you will be able to heal the divisions in this state that your predecessor helped create and that you wisely guide my former home state in a new, conciliatory, and productive direction.


Thomas D. Clarke
formerly of Ridgewood, Queens, and Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn

notes: Guy Vellela is a Bronx Republican former state senator who did jail time for accepting bribes. Alan Hevesi was convicted on felony charges in late 2006 for among other things using state funds (and state vehicles) to chauffeur his wife around NYC and Albany. And if David Paterson moves too far to the left or tries to become the second incarnation of Eliot "Job Killer Client 9" Spitzer, he will be hammered in my blogs as much as Spitzer and the Hildabeest are. But I will give Governor Paterson a chance to redeem himself first. After all, the Governor's mansion is going to need a lot of fumigating.

It's about time Eliot (formerly "Job Killer" but now "Client 9") Spitzer leaves office. I personally don't think Hookergate is the worst thing he has done, but if that is what finally removes him from office, so be it.

Spitzer should apologize to far more than just his wife for the atrocities he has committed.

He should apologize to the thousands of former employees of NYRA (not just former seasonal workers like me) and Marsh and McClellan whose jobs he destroyed during his politically motivated investigations when he was attorney general.

He should apologize to the millions of taxpayers who have to pay higher taxes because of his agreeing to give New York's overpaid legislature a pay raise.

He should apologize to the millions of New York Catholics whose faith based health care facilities he tried to drive out of business with his abortion policies.

He should apologize to the State Police for illegally using them to snoop on State Senate Leader Joe Bruno.

He should apologize to Joe Bruno for illegally using the state police in an attempt to smear him.

He should apologize to all the immigrants in New York (both illegal and legal) for using them as political pawns with his drivers' license scheme.

He should apologize to the state's Democrats for the damage he has done (and will do for years to come) to that party.

And Client 9 should apologize to every New Yorker for making this state the biggest laughingstock in the nation.

The sooner he is out of office, the better off New York will be.

And to those who claim I'm beating up on a dead horse, that horse ain't dead yet.. as of 10:22PM EDT/8:22PM MDT, he's still in the governor's mansion and not yet sharing a jail cell with Big Bubba and the Booty Bandit.

My least favorite politician Eliot Spitzer is at it again.

It is bad enough he destroyed thousands of jobs in New York when he was attorney general. It is bad enough the businesses he sued and settled with donated money to charities that either supported his gubernatorial bid or were run by his relatives. It is bad enough he thought it was a good idea to give drivers' licenses to people not in his state legally. It is bad enough he is so radically pro-infanticide that he thinks all health care providers (especially those opposed to abortion) should either provide abortions or not be allowed to practice medicine. It is bad enough that he used the New York State Police to snoop on his political rival State Senate Leader Joe Bruno. It is bad enough that he thinks the most corrupt and overpaid state legislature in the country deserves a pay raise.

Now Spitzer is laundering money to pay for high class hookers. Spitzer (or Client 9, as he is referred to in the joint IRS/FBI investigation), cheated on his wife, and used an illegal money laundering scheme to pay for his mistress. Last time I checked, using the services of a prostitute was still illegal in New York. Last time I checked, laundering money to fund illegal activity was a federal offense (which is how the IRS first got involved). The more one learns about the real Eliot Spitzer, the more one finds out he is about as clean as a weasel with diarrhea. If Eliot Spitzer doesn't resign soon, the legislature should begin impeachment proceedings pronto. But given the recent history of slimeball politicians in the state, it might take a federal conviction to get him out of office.

Spitzer video from CBS News

I feel vindicated because now nearly everyone in America knows what a scumbag Spitzer is and there is no way he can further his political career (or stay a free man for much longer) after this latest scandal. But it is sad that he still got elected governor and that he did so much damage to my longtime home of New York. The Hildabeest is almost as corrupt as Spitzer. Before one thinks of electing her President, one should realize that if she is elected President, she will have a scandal that will result in calls for her resignation or impeachment. Does the United States really need another Clinton impeachment circus? Can the United States afford a Presidency that will closely resemble Spitzer's 15 months as Governor of New York?

Since the Gazette is tallying for its "Best of the Springs", I figure I might let people know the worst in this town... and for comparison, I'll also put in last year's worst in the same categories for New York.

Worst of the Springs- 2008

Worst Politician: Douglas Bruce. So much for the theory that all bad politicians are liberal Democrats. And while Bruce has not destroyed jobs in the fashion of Eliot Spitzer or advocated infanticide or other wacky political policies, his personal conduct is enough to where he was the first Colorado Assemblyman ever to get censured for his actions. For those of you not from Colorado, Bruce earned his spot here by kicking a photographer in the Colorado Capitol right before his swearing in- and despite the video evidence, claimed it was only a tap. If I tapped someone like that, I would be facing assault charges. A distant second in this category would be the anti-Springs Democrats of the Salazar family, including the congressman and US Senator from Pueblo. Thank them when your water bill goes up.

Worst employer: Goodwill Staffing. Since I may still end up suing these bastards, I can't comment too much on my own personal experiences with these scumbags. But suffice it to say, their treatment of me in May 2007 violated national Goodwill policies, and they pretty much ignore the national "Goodwill for Life" package that most Goodwill welfare recipients receive after graduating from the national Goodwill job training programs. Goodwill should disown their Colorado Springs chapter and set up a new one that follows their policies and doesn't earn the nickname "Illwill".

Worst local restaurant: Wendy's at 3506 Hartsel Dr. Why am I singling out this Wendy's? Overcooked food and prices that are much higher than other Wendy's in the Colorado Springs area. Why do they think they should not offer the value menu at only a dollar and 50 cent hamburgers that other Wendy's in Briargate and the rest of the city sell?

Worst radio station: for the Springs, this is a tough one, seeing as most of the radio stations are crap compared to NYC or even Denver. This area has too many country and classic rock stations. There is no CBS News radio affiliate near the Springs, but 2 ABC News stations (KVOR and KRDO) and 3 local Fox News stations (KKKK, KZNT, and KCSJ). But the worst station is KKLI 106.3. Lite Music stations tend to have odious music selections, but KKLI's playlist tends to reflect more of when I first lived in the Springs (the 1970s) than the 21st Century. And they have an awful lot of syndicated programming for a local music station. And they make sister station WLTW (Lite 106.7 in NYC) sound current, which is a very difficult thing to do. I do have a complaint with Denver radio too, though: Denver has no top 40 or dance stations (at least the Springs has Magic-FM).

Worst TV station: technically, this isn't even a Springs station, but since the Gazette thinks this is a local media outlet, I'll mention it here. There is a National Bull Crap station from Pueblo (KOAA) that claims it gets high ratings in the Springs. I don't see how. Their news is crap. Their signal in the Springs is crap (which is why they are on Channel 30 here instead of Channel 5). The network they are affiliated with has no business broadcasting news. And even the less opinionated Newsblab.com rates their news way below Channels 11 and 13.

Most glaring public transportation omission: Has anyone noticed that one can get to Denver International Airport via Metro bus, Front Range Express, and RTD (Denver's public transportation) from the Springs, but there is absolutely no public transportation to Colorado Springs's own airport?

Most overpriced item: groceries. I understand that the Springs is landlocked, but there are rail lines into this town, we are less than 3 hours from a major farming area (Kansas), and there is no excuse why the Briargate Wal Mart should be charging more for a gallon of milk than a Western Beef in Queens or a Publix in Miami.


Worst of NY- 2007

Worst politician: Eliot "Job Killer" Spitzer. Spitzer's job killing records rated him above the Hildabeest (Hillary Clinton) in this category last year, and that was before Troopergate,  the Catholic forced abortion bills, and the illegal drivers licenses schemes he tried to put through recently. But there are far too many Democrats in New York that deserve tarring, feathering, and unemployment, if not jail.

Worst employer: Home Depot. Pray you never become a contractor for one of their Queens outlets. Their treatment of contractors (as opposed to permanent employees) is borderline illegal. And that's not counting the lack of lunches and lack of bathroom breaks, or bureaucratic mismanagement that punishes one for doing their job and encouraging employee and customer theft. Lowe's needs to open more outlets in NYC pronto.

Worst restaurant: El Greco Diner in Sheepshead Bay. Numerous cases of food poisoning can't be wrong. The now-closed rat infested Dunkin Donuts in lower Manhattan ranked a close 2nd, although it did rank #1 with rodents and other vermin. I wonder if CBS 2 still does their "Eat at your own risk" investigative series?

Worst radio station: WBAI. WLTW has an atrocious music selection (so much so that they lost a lot of audience to WWFS 102.7 when that station debuted last year). But while WLTW plays horrible music, WBAI broadcasts left wing propaganda. New Air (anti)-America affiliate WWRL 1600 also is left wing, but it is somewhat balanced out by that Fox News update at the top of the hour. WBAI has no balance. Some of their filth is among the most poisonous speech ever broadcasted. Their propaganda may have inspired the recent bombing of a Times Square military recruiting station. It's enough to make one wish for the times when George Carlin would cuss on this station. And worst, its owner wastes the noncommercial filth on a commercial frequency. NYC would be better served if this station moved to the 88.1-91.9MHz frequencies and Pulse 87.7 moved to WBAI's current home at 99.5MHz. America would be better served if every employee of Pacifica and WBAI got a lobotomy.

Worst TV station: WNBC-4. NBC is crap. This is the flagship station for NBC. Until recently, they also employed an obnoxious staffer who I codenamed "Syracuse Peacock" who harassed the Brooklyn College Excelsior over my news articles in the late 1990s. Fortunately, this station is way behind ABC 7 and CBS 2 in the ratings. By now, they may be behind Fox 5, too. And their libelous Dateline newsmagazine is facing a libel suit which will hopefully bankrupt the network.

Most glaring public transportation omission: there are rail lines to LaGuardia Airport, but the only way to get there by public transportation is via bus, mainly the slow M-60. It is far easier and quicker to get to Newark Liberty and JFK airports from Manhattan- since subways, NJ Transit, and the Air Train stop at those airports.

Most overpriced item: housing. Only in NYC can $3000 a month or a price tag under a million seem cheap. It would take the addition of nearly half a million new housing units within the 5 boroughs to get housing costs out of the stratosphere, but no local politician has the cajones to loosen the regulations to let that happen. Instead, they have overregulated the housing market to where landlords need to have 4 figure rents to break even. Never mind that many, if not most New Yorkers spend half or more of their income on housing.

Just the term "blood libel" denotes a serious, violent wording or writing. One of the most heinous blood libels would be the accusation that Jews use actual Gentile blood for food and sacrifices. If that were true, it would violate every human dignity and every Kosher food preparation practice. But unfortunately, quite a few in the Middle East believe this blood libel.

But perhaps the biggest blood libel of the 21st Century has to do with the origins of 9/11. Some of the Middle Eastern kooks who believe the Jewish blood libel discussed above also believe the 9/11blood libel. But unfortunately, so does a small but very vocal element of the American Left.

The 9/11 blood libel basically states that the "evil" government of George W. Bush and his Israeli allies set up 9/11 as a way to justify any military action in the Middle East. The sickos who believe this nonsense consider the whole Bush administration to be beyond corrupt and guilty of "war crimes". Of course these sickos also discount the fact that there is a real, foreign, radical terrorist organization that is really responsible for the atrocities of 9/11. These terrorists were aiming at the White House and Capitol. They killed over 100 people at the Pentagon- that attack alone justified war. And of course there were 2800 people killed in what used to be the World Trade Center complex in New York. And one of the casualties of those attacks happened to be Barbara Olsen, the wife of Ted Olsen, whom the Democrats will never forgive because he was one of Bush's lawyers in Bush vs. Gore, the Florida recount case that went to the US Supreme Court that help tilt the election in Bush's favor. At the very least, if Bush had any remote thing to do with planning 9/11, Barbara Olsen would still be alive, wouldn't she? And why would the translators of that infamous Osama Bin Laden videotape from November 2001 mis-translate his elation on how much carnage there was because of those terrorist attacks?

The 9/11 blood libel and all who believe and promote such nonsense need to be permanently discredited. What are these kooks going to say if Jerusalem is leveled by a mushroom cloud or if the West Coast is irradiated by Chinese nuclear weapons? What are these kooks going to do if their political allies cave in on the Iraq war and Al Qaida responds with a dirty bomb in New York or Washington? And if this country is no longer free, why are they still in this country sprouting such nonsense?

A country cannot survive if too much of its population is opposed to its existence. These kooks have already poisoned the political climate against George W. Bush. If they win in November, civil war or governmental collapse could ensue.

Looking forward to 2008? It's only a few hours away at this point. And there's so much to look foward to: more heated politics, new music, recycled movies and TV shows, more strife in the world, rising gas and food prices, and aging.

The upcoming new year promises to be the most politically tumultuous of the 21st Century so far. The only Muslim nuclear power (Pakistan)  has an upcoming election that hopefully will steer that country away from the Al Qaida sympathizers currently populating the administrative and military portions of its government. The leading politician (before her assassination a few days ago) was also the most outspoken against the Al Qaida threat. Assuming Musharraf doesn't cancel the upcoming elections (or Al Qaida doesn't attempt its own coup), Pakistan should have more of a popular mandate to combat the Osamas within its own borders.

The United States is not faced with an impending coup. But like Pakistan, it is faced with one of two drastic political choices. One is to keep battling Al Qaida and maintain the nation's security while trying to contain the impending explosion in federal entitlement spending. The other option is to surrender to Al Qaida and spend the government into oblivion. A Democratic Party victory in November could seed the economic and political destruction of the United States. And the leftists who currently run that party don't seem to know or care. Their policies didn't work before.. and that was before 21st Century economic and security threats reared their ugly heads. And perhaps most odious on the economic front is that the Democrats have no interest in lowering the exorbitant gas prices that are hurting the economy. They oppose further oil drilling within the US, oppose lowering the tariffs on efficient Brazilian sugar cane ethanol, and are subservient to the radical environmental lobby (and its new saint Al "Owl" Gore) while at the same time subsidizing the hell out of less efficient corn ethanol (which also is causing the spike in grocery prices). Of course the Democrats are going to hike taxes on the rich... but I'd hate to see what their new definition for rich is going to be.

The writers strike in Hollywood means that few scripted programs or movies are going to be produced this year. I've been to the movie theater maybe 3 times since 1991. Very few of those movies interest me anymore. And while I will miss "The Simpsons" and the CSI shows, I tend to watch more reality programming- which is not affected by the writers' strike. I look forward to new seasons of "Amazing Race", "Survivor", and the winter edition of "Big Brother". The billionaires and millionaires can keep their dispute going. I earn less in a year than they earn with one script.

The musical scene promises more dance music, more rap and hip hop, and declining fortunes for country and rock. Hip Hop is undergoing its own revolution, with many rappers maturing and promising more positive and less offensive lyrics. But it's too soon to see if the new Master P and the new Chamillionaire can outsell the G Units and the "ho music". Dance music of the techno, house, and Eurodance variety should be making a comeback with the success of "Calabria" and the new radio station WNYZ Pulse 87.7 in New York which is supposed to launch in a week or two.

I can only hope that Hillary Clinton, Eliot "Job Killer" Spitzer, Harry Reid, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, and Tom Tancredo will be obscure political footnotes after 2008.

Another dark chapter in the history of Major League Baseball got re-hashed this afternoon (12PM MST/2PM EST) when former Senator George Mitchell released his long-awaited report on steroid abuse. Just a few hours before the report came it out, 2 of the abusers' names were released: Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, who both happen to play for my least favorite team, the NY Yankees. But after browsing the report, that is just the tip of the iceberg.  Numerous current and former players of my favorite team, the NY Mets (such as Paul Lo Duca, Lenny Dykstra, Todd Hundley, Mo Vaughn, David Segui, Josias Manzanillo, Mark Carreon, Matt Franco, Chris Donnels, Todd Pratt, Mike Stanton, and Fernando Vina) were outed as abusers of steroids and/or human growth hormone. Indeed, one of the major sources for the records in this report was former NY Mets trainer and convicted HGH dealer Kirk Radomski. In all, at least 60 cheaters are named in this report. I don't have space here to name all of them. But the cheaters named played in all of the American and National League Clubs, as well as AAA and in Japan. And most of those named in the report played baseball long after anabolic steroids and the  non-prescription use of HGH were outlawed.

As far as I know, the active players named in this report should be suspended.. probably for life.

I should point out that there are a few legitimate uses for human growth hormone. But one needs a legal doctor's diagnosis and evaluation to obtain this drug. Just taking HGH to increase the home run totals is not a legitimate use of the drug. About the only legal dietary aids that can help with that would be creatine, protein powder, pasta, and good old fashioned exercise. I will admit to consuming large amounts of pasta and using approximately 10-15 grams of creatine per day when I was working in the labor-intensive Yard Hydrants division of Woodford Manufacturing. But I never did steroids or  HGH or anything illegal or anything that my doctors told me not to use.

I have a PDF of Mitchell's report on my website (courtesy of the cbsnews.com site that has a free download of the report).