Big Day for Smokey

Today's the day that my seven-month old Shih Tzu, Smokey, gets neutered. Although I have mixed reservations about stopping his reproduction system, I do recognize the advantages of spaying and neutering our pets. According to my veterinarian, neutering a male reduces the risk of both prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. I'm told that neutering also will make your pet more affectionate and less likely to roam, get in fights, or become lost.

Please say a prayer for my pooch as he goes under the knife this morning. As my neighbor said (while talking to his female dog), "Take a look at Smokey, because when you see him again he won't be the man he used to be."

4 Worst Sitcoms Ever

In the name of all things pure and holy, how does a bad situation comedy finds its way on air? Just looking at the quality of these shows one immediately can tell it's not about art or posterity. These whack-ass sitcoms should have never made it past the pilot episode. Yeah, they served a purpose. They created jobs for talentless writers and bad actors, and in some cases, good writers and talented actors fell victim, too. Amazingly these humorless comedies liberally laced with laugh tracks and feigned audience interest appear regularly on prime time television, either in syndication or regular season.

I guess like most things bad sitcoms have their place in society. Fortunately for the "hired help" like the grips, lighting technicians, hairstylists, costume designers, production assistants, make-up artists, et. al., it makes for steady employment.

Here is my list of the 4 Worst Sitcoms Ever:

4. Reba. This whack-ass sitcom has been on the WB network for the past several years. It started n 2001 and ended last year. It stars country singer Reba McEntire as a single mom raising three kids, but keeping an eye on a son-in-law, a granddaughter, an ex-husband and an ex-husband's neurotic wife. 'Reba' began with the Hart family in the midst of a divorce as Texas soccer mom Reba watched her white-picket-fenced world collapse before her very eyes. Her dentist husband, Brock(Christopher Rich), left her after what she thought was 20 happy years of marriage for his impossibly perky and unfortunately pregnant dental hygienist, Barbra Jean (Melissa Peterman). The cherry on top of this bitter sundae was the pregnancy of Reba's then 17-year-old daughter Cheyenne (JoAnna Garcia) and her decision to marry her high school football star boyfriend, Van (Steve Howey). Rounding out the happy brood is teenage Kyra(Scarlett Pomers), who continues to greet puberty with venom, and son Jake (Mitch Holleman).

Where's the humor in that scenario? Ask the writers, cause watching an episode of Reba is like visiting the dentist office. You know it's gong to be painful, so you just grin and bear it.

3. She's the Sheriff. Starring an ageless Suzanne Sommers cast as Hildy Granger, a young wife suddenly widowed with two children to support. Her employment worries end when the Commissioner of Lakes County, Nevada (near Lake Tahoe), offers to appoint her sheriff, the job held by her husband until his untimely death. Hildy accepts the position and is immediately forced to handle the daily problems of both locals and tourists, with extra trouble created by the four deputies on her staff. In addition, Hildy has regular battles with work colleague Max Rubin, who doesn't feel Hildy should be in the job.

Okay. Once again, where's the humor? This sorry sitcom lasted 44 episodes! Thank goodness it never made its way to syndication.

2. The Ropers. Simply horrible. A spin-off from Three's Company, 'Three’s Company' landlords Stanley and Helen Roper leave the apartment complex and move into a new one. Still the same Roper dynamic, but without the Three’s Company gang. Not funny. Without the ensemble cast from 'Three's Company', this sitcom fell flat. It only lasted one season.

1. Cavemen. Enough said. This bad sitcom was derived from a series of funny commercial ads for GEICO Insurance. What started as a good commercial ended as one of the worst sitcoms ever. How interested would you be in watching the perils of cavemen as the maneuver through a modern day big city? Get real!

Tell me, which sitcom would you like to see added to the list and why?

An Obama Love Story

Okay, so I've posted twice in a row about Obama. Don't strangle me.

I ran across this lovely video while trolling YouTube and immediately thought, "Wow! What a homage to love." It's a pictorial salute to love accompanied by a beautiful ballad sung by Clay Aiken. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. What I enjoy most about the tribute is 1) The strong and positive images of black family and black love, and 2) The words of the song.

Watch and listen for yourself.

Enjoy!

Obama Passes the Litmus Test

Several months ago when Barack Obama appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show he made a powerful statement. It wasn't so much what he said, but what he did. He showed the viewing audience that he has soul. And how does a black politician show that he has soul? He dances.

I'm not kidding. The Democratic presidential hopeful breaks out in a dance. Initially he looks pretty awkward, stiff and not very soulful. But when Ellen rolls up to him and starts her signature dance, Brotha Barack starts getting down. I mean he really gets down. He throws his hands up, shakes his hips and starts poppin' his fingers. You know. The cool brotha in the club dance. In essence, he got his groove on.

So for all you haters out there who keep saying that Barack ain't a brotha, y'all need to stop. See for yourself. Barack Obama is really Black. And he can dance, too . . . for a White guy.

Officer Fired for Beating Transgendered Woman

The Memphis Police Department has done the right thing. Officer Bridges McRae has been fired for using excessive force in the videotaped beating of Duanna Johnson, a transgendered former prostitute.

Although it took four months for the department to take action, the administrative hearing officers apparently only needed two hours. In an administrative hearing held on June 25, Officer McRae learned his fate: It ain't cool to beat-up a detainee and keep your job. During the proceedings, McRae wanted to speak in his defense but his attorney advised against it. He now plans to appeal his termination.

Johnson says she feels somewhat vindicated by the department's decision to fire McRae, but plans to continue with her $1.3 million lawsuit against the MPD. The FBI has also been called in to investigate to determine if Johnson's civil rights were violated.

Another bad cop off the streets.

Do you think it's ever warranted or necessary for police to use excessive force?

http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?s=8556748

Transgendered Female Takes a Beating

Things are getting ugly here in Memphis, Tennessee.

What is the world coming to when a woman can’t walk down the street without being picked up and beaten by the police?

Duanna Johnson, a 6-foot-5-inch transgendered woman, was arrested in February on a charge of prostitution. What ensued next is a nightmare that Johnson, 42, will never forget. For 18 minutes, Memphis police officer Bridges McRae beat Johnson because she refused to stand up. The whole incident was caught on a security surveillance video and was released last week by Johnson’s attorney.

The raw footage of the beating has outraged Memphians and the gay and lesbian community. The FBI has been called in to investigate and civil rights organizations vow to seek justice. They want the officer fired. Instead, for the past four months, McRae has been assigned to desk duty pending an administrative hearing.

Johnson is suing the City of Memphis Police Department for $1.3 million.

Johnson said she wasn’t “working” that night but was just walking down the street when McRae approached her and took her in for solicitation.

Johnson was born a male but has been living life as a female for the past 17 years. She said she is used to people staring at her but she has never experience such blatant disrespect and humiliation. She said McRae kept referring to her as “he/she” and “faggot” and she refused to answer him. When she told him that her mother did not name her “he/she” or “faggot,” that's when McRae lost it. He struck her several times with his fist and gloved handcuffs. Another officer restrained her while McRae beat and pepper-sprayed her.

The video shows other officers standing around watching the incident. Johnson said she called for help but no one came to her aid. A few minutes later, a nurse is called to the lobby. Johnson said the nurse repeatedly ignored her pleas for help.

Shelby County Sheriff Mark Lutrell, who oversees the jail, said that the nurse didn’t ignore Johnson, but performed a visual assessment of Johnson and determined the injuries weren’t life-threatening. A few minutes later, the nurse tended to McRae while Johnson rocked back and forth behind them.

Police Director Larry Godwin says he was sickened by what he saw on the videotape. “I was infuriated. I notified the FBI because they needed to investigate to see if this person’s civil rights were violated.”

An administrative hearing is scheduled for McRae next week.

I'll be keeping my eye on this case. Truly amazing. Had the videotape not been released, would the public have known about this incident? Most likely not.

How many corrupt cops and millions of dollars spent on lawsuits will it take before the city of Memphis and Shelby County government clean up its law enforcement agencies?

Teen Girls Make Pact to Become Pregnant

Thirty miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts in a small fishing town part of Cape Ann Peninsula, sits the city of Gloucester, America’s oldest working seaport. Known for its beautiful harbor, famous beaches, historic inns, ancient lighthouses, legendary painters, and fresh seafood, Gloucester can now add to its lists of attractions: Gloucester High School Teen Pregnancy Club. This strange club boasts a membership of 17 girls from Gloucester High School.

TIME first reported the story earlier in the week, reporting 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But Principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there's been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, "some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal says, shaking his head.

According to Guttmacher Institute, each year almost 750,000 women ages 15-19 become pregnant. In general, states with the highest number of teenagers had the highest number of teenage pregnancies. In 2000, the states with highest teenage birthrates were Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, and New Mexico. The states with the lowest birthrates were New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Maine. Although Massachusetts is ranked as one of the states with the lowest teen birthrates, the sudden rise in pregnancy among Gloucester High School teens is alarming.

What would cause 17 adolescent women to make a pact to become pregnant while in high school? And how can we prevent more teenagers from “joining the club?”

Please share your comments.

If Walls Could Talk, What Would They Say?

Ask Scott McClellan. That's what he's doing today before a congressional committee. The former White House press secretary told Congress on Friday that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney wanted him to say that Cheney's chief of staff wasn't involved in the leak of a CIA operative's identity, an assertion that turned out to be false.

Scott McClellan, Bush's spokesman from 2003-2006, said he had reservations about publicly clearing the name of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff at the time. Later, Libby was convicted of obstructing the investigation of the leak of Valerie Plame's CIA identity.

McClellan told the House Judiciary Committee that he doesn't know if a crime was committed in efforts to cover up the leak.

But he had harsh words for the White House, suggesting that the administration is continuing a cover-up in the Plame case. Read the article to learn more.

Ramdom Thought for the Day

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning the 2008 NBA World Championship. I'm so glad that Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (as well as Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers) finally got a ring! And they did it up big, too: 131-92.

Sorry, Lakers, maybe next time. But June 17, 2008 was Boston's time to shine.

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?categoryId=2459788&brand=null&videoId=3449933&n8pe6c=1

Tim Russert of "Meet the Press" Dies of Heart Attack

Journalist Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press" fame, died of a heart attack on Friday. Tim, who was only 58, apparently died suddenly while preparing for his weekly broadcast. Resuscitation efforts failed and Mr. Russert was pronounced dead at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC.

My deepest sympathy for his family, friends, and a nation's loss.

R.I.P.

Okey Dokey Friday Jokey

I really do love this country, but . . .

1. Only in America . . . can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

2. Only in America . . . are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

3. Only in America . . . do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

4. Only in America . . . do people order double cheese burgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

5. Only in America . . . do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

6. Only in America... do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

7. Only in America . . . do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

8. Only in America . . . do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

9. Only in America . . . do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

10. Only in America . . . do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille.

- From the website, Lots of Jokes

NASCAR in Blackface

When I think of NASCAR, I think of redneck-beer chugging-tobacco spitting-Confederate Flag waving-foul mouthed white men. Never would I have placed a black face with NASCAR, even if there are a few token blacks in the industry. So you can imagine my surprise when I read the attached article about a sistah-- yes, I said a SISTAH!--suing NASCAR.

Thirty-two year old Mauricia Grant, a former NASCAR official (and only black female official) is suing her ex-boss for $225 million. According to Ms. Grant's lawsuit filed on June 11, 2008 her white male co-workers repeatedly flashed their genitalia, made sexual overtures and innuendos, compared the KKK to the NAACP, and used the word nigger like it was going out of style. In the 40 page filing, Grant said she was repeatedly exposed to a racially hostile work environment and subjected to racists comments and a sexually hostile work environment. When she complained to NASCAR officials, Grant said that she was told to "deal with it."

Wow! Just when you thought it was safe to go into the office. I bet NASCAR will look to quickly settle with Grant to avoid the appearance of racial discrimination.

Cha-Ching!!! A sistah's about to get paid! Read the article and let me know what you think.

Okey Dokey Friday Jokey

The Lie Detector

John was a salesman's delight when it came to any kind of unusual gimmick. His wife Marsha had long ago given up trying to get him to change. One day John came home with another one of his unusual purchases.

It was a robot that John claimed was actually a lie detector.

It was about 5:30 that afternoon when Tommy, their 11 year-old son, returned home from school. Tommy was over two hours late.

"Where have you been? Why are you over two hours late getting home?" asked John.

"Several of us went to the library to work on an extra credit project," said Tommy.

The robot then walked around the table and slapped Tommy, knocking him completely out of his chair.

"Son," said John, "this robot is a lie detector. Now tell us where you really were after school."

"We went to Bobby's house and watched a movie," said Tommy.

"What did you watch?" asked Marsha. "The Ten Commandments.," answered Tommy.

The robot went around to Tommy and once again slapped him, knocking him off his chair once more. With his lip quivering, Tommy got up, sat down and said, "I am sorry I lied. We really watched a tape called Sex Queen."

"I am ashamed of you, son," said John. "When I was your age, I never lied to my parents." The robot then walked around to John and delivered a whack that nearly knocked him out of his chair.

Marsha doubled over in laughter, almost in tears and said, "Boy, did you ever ask for that one! You can't be too mad with Tommy. After all, he is your son"

With that the robot immediately walked around to Marsha and knocked her out of her chair.

The Dream Realized?

Democratic Presidential Nominee, Sen. Barack Obama (IL) and wife, Michelle.

"It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual."

"Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."

"But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."

- Excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington (August 28, 1963)
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Liberation from Guilt

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Today is my birthday and I declare it a national holiday, a holiday free from guilt. So, I'm gonna indulge in a sinful pleasure. I'm gonna have a hot fudge ice-cream sundae topped with fresh whipped cream, crushed peanuts, and a plump red delicious strawberry on top.

Okay. Okay. I'm dieting, so I'll skip the cherry. Help me blow out 44 candles. Ready. Set. Go!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!