My Sick Mind

I stopped watching Dancing with the Stars a few years ago, when they ran out of stars. I'm still fascinated by the concept, however, and I follow the show in absentia by reading the news stories that circulate after each results show. I notice that Sarah Palin's devil spawn, Bristol is still on the show in spite of being given low scores by the show's judges, to the point of having to defend herself for being there. Rational thinking people say she is a bad dancer, yet she continues on the show, presumably because of the votes she gets from the viewers. She gets tons of them, no doubt from the Tea Baggers that support her mother. Somebody should check to see whom the show's producers supported for president in 2008 and where their money goes. It says here that they are probably big supporters of the Republican party and have figured out a way to use their television show to put their favorite candidate front and center. I smell a conspiracy. Sarah's new book, ...

She has been lurking around, griping and yelling about things she doesn't understand , giving speeches and getting her face on TV. Now, she's invading our homes (well, maybe your home ) on a weekly basis with the latest in a seemingly endless stream of so-called reality shows. Sarah Palin. The TV show is called " Sarah Palin's Alaska ," and it features her and her clan of cave bears and illigitimate children hunting, fishing, boating and doing all those things that Alaskans are famous for. It's all designed to show what a "real person" Palin is, and how back-woodsy and interesting she is. That is, it's designed to make us forget what she is really like. As if that wasn't enough (and it isn't) she has written another book (which no doubt, outnumbers the ones she has read) that is coming out on November 23. This one is called " America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag " where she manages to get all 4 key catch wo...

I'm not sure where these Tea Party people came from, but they seem to have found a voice in conservative TV host Glenn Beck and professional embarrassment Sarah Palin, who both appeared at a recent gathering of followers in Washington, D.C. Here is a quote from Beck, who seems to have forgotten the years 2000 to 2008. "This is the day we can start the hearts of Americans again, and it has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with God," Beck told the crowd estimated at anywhere from tens of thousands to 500,000 . Oh boy. There's the God thing again. As though God has among his priorities establishing politics in America. How big an ego does somebody have to have in order for that to make sense to them? God will watch over me because I'm so much better than anybody else. Those are dangerous thoughts. "For too long, this country has wandered in darkness, and we have wandered in darkness in periods from the beginning," Beck said, at times pac...

Our nation is, of course, a Republic and not a Democracy as we hear so often. Nevertheless, it doesn't stop those Tea Party folk from posting junk designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator - which is odd, considering that they are part of the fraction. Sometimes a mirror is a useful tool. A local Minnesota Republican Party operative yesterday waded into one of the signature political issues of our time: "Who's hotter — Republican women or Democratic women?" The Senate District 56 GOP Party posted a Web video yesterday laying out its position on the hotness question. It leads with images of prominent Republicans such as Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin, and Michele Bachmann; the soundtrack, naturally, is the Tom Jones chestnut, "She's a Lady." So that's how it is now. Beauty pageants are deciding whom is the best candidate for public office. That's the part I weep about. Not to mention, the fact that the local Republican party cannot sp...

In 1978, Saturday Night Live did a sketch called "The Thing That Wouldn't Leave," where John Belushi played a house guest that overstayed his welcome to the point of aggravating his hosts. That's what I feel like every time Sarah Palin speaks: WASHINGTON — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday that "mama grizzlies" will help Republicans win this November, sweeping away the agenda of President Barack Obama and the Democrats. Addressing an anti-abortion group, the potential 2012 presidential candidate also said she understood how some women might consider abortion, citing her own experiences as the mother of a child with Down syndrome and the parent of an unwed teen mother. Last year, Palin said that "for a fleeting moment" she considered having an abortion when she learned of her son Trig's prognosis. Hmm ... yeah, and then she considered her political future and decided to use her millions of dollars to raise the kid. Nice choice, bitch...

BOSTON - Sarah Palin rallied the conservative tea-party movement near the scene of its historical inspiration Wednesday, telling Washington politicians that government should be working for the people, not the other way around. Addressing roughly 5,000 people , the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee accused President Obama of over-reaching with his $787 billion stimulus program. She also criticized the administration's health-care, student-loan and financial regulatory overhauls. "Is this what their 'change' is all about?" Palin asked the crowd at Boston Common. "I want to tell 'em, nah, we'll keep clinging to our Constitution and our guns and religion, and you can keep the change." She really said that. Honestly. Some things are too crazy to make up - even here. Read that last line again. The one that goes like this: "I want to tell 'em, nah, we'll keep clinging to our Constitution and our guns and religion, and you can k...

I'm confused over the title of Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue." I don't know if she means rogue as a noun, adjective or verb. She's so mysterious! rogue NOUN: An unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person; a scoundrel or rascal. One who is playfully mischievous; a scamp. A wandering beggar; a vagrant. A vicious and solitary animal, especially an elephant that has separated itself from its herd. An organism, especially a plant, that shows an undesirable variation from a standard. ADJECTIVE: Vicious and solitary. Used of an animal, especially an elephant. Large, destructive, and anomalous or unpredictable: a rogue wave; a rogue tornado. Operating outside normal or desirable controls. VERB: rogued , rogu·ing , rogues VERB: tr. To defraud. To remove (diseased or abnormal specimens) from a group of plants of the same variety. VERB: intr. To remove diseased or abnormal plants.

When I get a stomach virus, I wind up on the toilet several times a night. It awakens me from my sleep, and each time I get up to agonizingly go to the bathroom I hope it's the last time. But there is usually one more salvo, and when I think that my body is empty, I am awakened once again and all I can muster is some lingering stomach pain and another twenty minutes of lost sleep. That's the way I view Sarah Palin. The lingering sickness that keeps coming back, and each time I hope this is the last time. She left the Alaska governor's seat on Sunday, presumably for good, but didn't let the event pass without firing off a few salvos at those of us sitting on the toilet waiting for the pain to stop. “So, how about, in honor of the American soldier, you quit making things up,” she said with an insistent voice, prompting loud applause and cheers from a mostly sympathetic audience gathered at a park in Fairbanks. What did we make up, I wonder? The troubled teen pregnancy...

Being a shut-in allows me to monitor the TV and check in on what is going on while the rest of you are going out. Over on TNT, they're showing a NASCAR race in Florida. The people in charge have figured a creative way to run commercials while the race is going on. Meanwhile, the ad and the junk at the bottom of the screen take up one-fifth of the screen space. I have no idea what this must look like to someone without a hi-def TV, but it can't be pretty. They call it "Wide-open coverage." I call it a shameless method for working commercials into content while not showing enough of either. Am I supposed to be watching the race or the ad? Neither one is emphasised. JUNEAU, Alaska – Outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday laid the groundwork to take on a larger, national role after leaving state government, citing a "higher calling" with the aim of uniting the country along conservative lines. In a statement posted on Palin's Facebook account, ...

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A week away from the world is nice. The morning newspaper is scanned like an Evelyn Wood course and what I'm left with are a couple of things that are blown so far out of proportion that they are impossible to ignore, even on vacation. Sarah Palin repeats on America like a bad tuna salad: David Letterman quipped that the Palin family went to a Yankees game and "there was one awkward moment during the seventh-inning stretch: Her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez." That, says Palin, "crossed the line." What really "crossed the line" was putting Sarah Palin in front of America as a vice-presidential candidate. That's crossing the line. "It's quite a sad commentary on where we are a culture, as a society, to chuckle and laugh through comments such as he made the other night," Palin said. She may believe that Letterman's comments were inappropriate, but how about the premise that what makes someone a legitimate political fo...

It's grey and rainy here today, so I hunkered in for a little TV before game 3 of the World Series - a little more TV. Over on CNN they were following the McCain campaign. Sarah Palin was in Albuquerque, New Mexico speaking in front of a crowd that was expected to be much bigger. Behind her, crazy supporters chanted "Drill, Baby Drill" and "Mine, Baby Mine". Besides the obvious reasons, I won't vote for those two nitwits because of the antiquated thinking of having to drill for our freedom and reliance on fossil fuels. It's the same reason I cringe every time McCain brings up investing in Nuclear power. Palin started screaming about "putting Americans to work" and how drilling the United States full of oil wells is a great way to do that. Ugh. Don't you have shopping to do? Then, Crazy Eyes himself came up to speak. He started in on that spiel about how he intends to create wealth and help the middle class. Whenever politicians think th...

Saturday night I went to see Umphrey's McGee in Philly. They're probably the best "never heard of them" band around and if you get the chance, you should hear of them. I'll spare you the details, but I lost my keys twice during the evening - once in a restaurant and again at the show later. There were bouts of mild panic followed by resolution when they once showed up at the hostess station and later with a security guard. The problem with being a single person is that when something like that happens, there is no alternative course of action. If my keys had indeed vanished, I ran several scenarios over in my head, all of which involved a locksmith to (a) get me into my car and (b) get me into my house. Getting home would have involved an expensive cab ride and sleeping outside until the locksmith was available would have been uncomfortable. I think that's why single people have shorter life spans. I'm personally boycotting the Sarah Palin appearances ...

I love a good political cartoon. Tom Toles is about the best there is. I like the way he draws these two clowns. McCain looks like a pile of mashed potatoes and Palin looks like ... well ... Palin. That's the beauty of it. I see she has admitted defeat and is about to appear on Saturday Night Live . When is that on? The other night in North Carolina, Palin said that she likes visiting the "pro America" parts of the country. Gosh, Sarah - do ya think we're not pro America in America? Chalk that up to another of her dopey comments. "Being here with all of you hardworking, very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans," the Republican vice presidential candidate said. Ugh. Meanwhile, old Joe the Plumber (boy, are they sorry they brought that up) owes back taxes and makes less than $250,000 a year; so he would get a tax cut under Obama's ...

NEW YORK - The teachers' union for the nation's largest public school system accused the city on Friday of banning political campaign buttons and sued to reverse the policy, declaring that free speech rights were violated . Last week, some University of Illinois faculty and students held an Obama rally on campus, claiming their right to support political candidates was under assault. Before the rally, the school released a statement saying state workers were prohibited by law from participating in political activities on university property. The school later said it never intended to enforce the law . The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education recently sent a letter of protest after the University of Oklahoma instructed students and faculty and staff members not to use university e-mail to endorse or oppose a candidate. The group said it also had received complaints about bans on campaign activities at Iowa Western Community College and Fresno Pacific University in Cal...

CNN conducted a national poll and found that Senator Biden won the vice presidential debate, but that Governor Palin "exceeded expectations." CNN also found that Palin topped Biden on likability, but Biden was viewed to be more qualified for the job . Exceeded expectations? What does that mean? If the people they surveyed thought she was going to stammer and fall down or crap her pants and she doesn't, she exceeded their expectations. I can only presume that most Americans think she's a boob (pun) and watched the debate to see her implode. Sorry that didn't happen, but it would have made great TV. Clearly, voters want to know. After the debate, searches spiked on " who won the vice presidential debate " and " who is the vp debate winner ." The Buzz contains a slew of analysis pieces on who came out on top, but like everything else in politics, the answer depends on who you ask . Why would someone who watched the debate do a web search to see w...

You have no idea (or little idea) how interesting this blogging thing is. Not only did I receive a page hit (or three) over yesterday's post , I also received a hit from my buddies at Widener University - even though I'm not paying them anymore - over the mere fact that I earned a big-time degree at their fine institution. The sad part is that I probably won't be around to witness the excitement when the A'hole commenter returns to see the fruit of his labor. Shame. However, the reason I won't be around is good . The Phillies are in the National League divisional playoffs and yours truly (me) will be at the game on Thursday night. What gives me pause is the fact that I will not be around to watch the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah (ahem) Palin. I happen to be in the Rachel Maddow camp when I say that I believe that Sarah is in a no-lose situation, much the same as a kid in T-Ball. Anything in fair territory is going to be viewed as a succes...

Those screwy Ohioans are at it again. WHITEHOUSE, Ohio (AP) - You need to be airborne to fully appreciate a corny caricature of Sarah Palin near Toledo, Ohio. A 16-acre cornfield has been carved up in the likeness of the Republican vice presidential candidate to form a tourist attraction's fall corn maze. The Butterfly House in Whitehouse is owned by Duke Wheeler, who says Palin created a lot of excitement in the campaign and he was hoping to generate some for this year's maze. He says it took an artist from Idaho at least 8 hours to mow down corn stalks in a Palin pattern, complete with her familiar updo hairstyle and eyeglasses . I wonder if Cindy McCain feels slighted? After all, she's supposed to be the hot young babe trophy wife of the old-fart war hero, right? Or am I overstating it? That's the picture from here at 7pm on Thursday. An endless line of rain stretching from now until sometime Sunday. Probably right around sundown, so's to screw entirely with...

The spinmeisters will be working overtime in McCain-ville. Every time Sarah Palin opens her mouth more junk comes out. Here are a few excerpts from her interview with ABC’s Charlie Gibson: Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's assertion that she believes humans play a role in climate change — made in her first major interview since joining the Republican ticket — is at odds with her previous statements. Palin said she didn't disagree with scientists that the problem can be attributed to "man's activities." "Show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect or no effect on climate change. I have not said that," Palin told ABC News in an interview broadcast Thursday and Friday . OK, since you asked: She has told the Internet news site Newsmax, " A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. ... I'm not one, ...

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. - Searching for an economic boost and home to perhaps the most compelling story of 9/11, rural Somerset County is trying to pull off a balancing act: Remembering the victims of United Airlines Flight 93 in a way that encourages development and job growth without devolving into tackiness and disrespect . I'm not sure about where you live, but around here we memorialize places where cars skid off the road and crashes occur with flowers and the occasional wooden cross. It's a morbid reminder of something horrible that happened. Now, construction is underway in the tiny town of Shanksville (heretofore a bypassed town off the Pennsylvania Turnpike) to build a memorial to Flight 93. We want to remember stuff like that, even though while we're there, we realize that we would rather forget it. Meanwhile, business in Shanksville is booming, presumably because tourists are turning off the Turnpike to gaze upon the sacred ground where the crash occurred. The idea...