Fruits, Nuts, Flakes,...

HT to PowerBlog! :



QUEERLY BELOVED
Lawsuit to seek halt in 'gay' lobbying inside voting booth
California officials change reference to marriage protection amendment

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Posted: July 29, 2008
10:15 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

California Attorney General Jerry Brown

Pro-family leaders in California who organized a drive for more than a million signatures to put a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage on this fall's election ballot say they will seek a court ruling to prevent pro-homosexual lobbying inside the voting booths.

Attorney General Jerry Brown has announced he's changing the official state language describing Proposition 8, which would limit marriage in California to one man and one woman.

He now wants voters to read when they're voting on the issue that it would "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry."

"This is an extremely biased description designed to defeat Proposition 8," said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute.

"The 'right' of homosexuals to marry was created out of thin air just three months ago by an activist court. In that unjust ruling, not only was the people's right to pass laws such as Proposition 22 overturned, the justices arrogantly imposed their radical social agenda on our state," she said.

"Now the Democrat elected officials such as Attorney General Jerry Brown are siding with the anti-Prop 8 campaign and using their power to place every obstacle they can before this crucial proposition. Despite the unscrupulous tactics of our opposition, Californians are committed to restoring the definition of marriage ... and we will certainly reject judicial activism," said England.

The group ProtectMarriage.com told the Los Angeles Times it plans to seek a court order against such voting-booth lobbying.

Protect Marriage spokeswoman Jennifer Kerns said the language is "inherently argumentative" and that it could "prejudice" voters.

Originally the amendment read, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Brown changed the ballot description to reference the "elimination" of homosexual "marriage" rights.

State officials say they changed it because of the state Supreme Court's ruling May 15 through which the justices said homosexuals couldn't constitutionally be denied the right to "marry."

Brown also inserted language alleging the state would lose millions of dollars if homosexual "marriage" is banned.

"Both the summary change and inserting the claim that California will lose millions of dollars if homosexual marriage is banned proves that even our supposedly unbiased elected officials have no desire to protect traditional marriage," said Meredith Turney, legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Family Impact.

"Over 1 million Californians signed a petition to place on the ballot a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman," Turney said. "This new, biased language does not reflect the Protect Marriage Initiative's intent, and is clearly meant to sway voters' decisions – even in the ballot box."

Homosexual advocates told the Times they applauded the change.

And political analysts told the newspaper they expected the language change alone could impact the results of the statewide vote.

As WND reported earlier, supporters of homosexual marriage sued to block Proposition 8 from being on the ballot at all but were defeated.

Proposition 8, if passed, effectively would overturn the May 15 California Supreme Court decision striking down the state's ban on same-sex marriage by adding the words "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" to the state's constitution.

The TrekMedic adds:

Didn't this village idiot used to be governor of California and make it the Granola-Hippie-Tree Hugging State we all know and hate?

Philebrity Passings

Edie Huggins, 1935-2008
A versatile, dogged, endearing NBC10 face

By Melissa Dribben, Vernon Clark and Annette John-Hall
Inquirer Staff Writers

Edie Huggins, the pioneering African American journalist who brought insight, empathy, elegance and wit to her work at NBC10 for more than four decades, died early yesterday at her home on the Main Line after a long struggle with lung cancer.

An extraordinarily versatile reporter who managed to be both dogged and tender, Ms. Huggins, 72, had served as a news anchor and talk-show host and done features and investigative stories.

In recent years, Ms. Huggins created "Huggins' Hero" reports, a weekly profile of ordinary folks whose selfless work, usually in the nonprofit sector, would not otherwise be recognized.

Ms. Huggins herself had been amply honored, inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame, chosen by the Urban League of Philadelphia as one of the Outstanding African American Philadelphians of the 20th Century, recognized by the Philadelphia Chapter of American Women in Radio & Television as Communicator of the Year, and celebrated by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists with a lifetime achievement award.

A former soap opera actress and registered nurse, she was recruited to what then was CBS-owned WCAU-TV in Philadelphia in 1966 after a chance meeting with a broadcast executive in a New York restaurant. A single mother, Ms. Huggins arrived in the city with $65, her two young children, and enough courage to get her started. She went on to enjoy the longest consecutive run of any Philadelphia TV news person.

During an interview two years ago, when the city declared "Edie Huggins Day" to celebrate her 40th year with the station, the reporter, known for her humility and disarming candor, said she was hired despite an embarrassing lack of on-air experience. The reason, she said, was not so much that she had wowed the station manager, but that WCAU was competing against the NBC affiliate, which had just hired its first black woman reporter, Trudy Haynes.

"There was one black male reporter, one black female reporter, and one black cameraman at all the stations," recalled retired newsman Harvey Clark, who worked with Ms. Huggins as a young reporter at WCAU in 1978.

She was one of Clark's early mentors. "Edie was the first one who felt it was necessary for you to know who the movers and shakers in town were, and quietly introduced you to them and gave you references and all things that were specifically required for a reporter to have early success."

Patty Jackson, WDAS-FM midday personality, remembered as a child watching Ms. Huggins on TV. "It wasn't the norm to see black people on TV back in the '60s. . . . She made you proud to watch her. She was beautiful and had this poise about her. When I got a chance to meet her in person, she didn't disappoint at all. She was warm and friendly, a really good person."

Pete Kane, photojournalist for NBC10, credited Ms. Huggins for helping him launch his career.

"She was a blessing," he said. When he first met her, he was 18 and working in the WCAU mailroom. "She encouraged me to go to school. So I went to night school and eventually became a cameraman. . . . From Edie, I learned how to speak right, pronounce words correctly, because if you didn't, she'd get after you."

But she was also very sweet. "When you were on the street with her, it was like being out with your mother. We'd go shopping, have lunch. There's nobody like her and nobody will ever be like her," Kane said.

Acel Moore, Inquirer associate editor emeritus, similarly recalled Ms. Huggins for her supple nature - a leader among black journalists and a fundamentally decent human being.

"Edie treated me like a little brother," Moore said. "She was a gracious and gorgeous woman who loved people and was touched by the stories she did."

In a business where hubris is a common professional hazard, Ms. Huggins never let fame inflate her ego.

"Some people in this business are fake. Edie was real," said Gerry Wilkinson, a former producer at WDAS and WHYY who now heads the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. Wilkinson, who first met Ms. Huggins when he was a communications student at Temple University, said, "I remember thinking this lady really has class. She's going to make it in this town."

Another longtime friend, State Rep. Louise Williams Bishop (D., Phila.), said Ms. Huggins handled her success with unfailing grace.

"In those days if you were beautiful and successful, you had a tendency to look down at others," Bishop said. "I never saw any of that in Edie. She was friendly with children, adults, the haves and the have-nots. Nothing went to her head."

A native of St. Joseph, Mo., Ms. Huggins graduated cum laude from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She worked at Bellevue and Flower-Fifth Avenue Hospitals in New York as a registered nurse, simultaneously appearing in the NBC daytime drama The Doctors. She also appeared on The Edge of Night and Love of Life, both produced by CBS Television.

In 2006, Ms. Huggins was cast in a starring role of an independent movie titled So Big. The movie had its debut May 3 at International House in Philadelphia.

When her coworkers learned in the spring that Ms. Huggins' illness had worsened, "it took a piece of everybody," Kane said. She refused to give in, however. "We saw her every day in the building. You saw her water the plants on her days off. . . . Channel 10 was her home. She'd come in and she'd stay for 20 minutes or 20 hours. Even when she was off."

Through all the ups and downs of the broadcast news business, Ms. Huggins maintained her professional standards, and even as she entered her 70s managed to remain on the crest of cultural and news events.

"She had not gone out to pasture. She could kick it and work. And that's what people loved about her," Kane said.

"She was an icon," said Beverly Williams, the former KYW-TV news anchor. "Edie was the nicest person. She was genuine. I'm devastated. I really am."

"She was timeless," said her colleague Renee Chenault-Fattah. "She knew much more about culture and social issues than I do. She always stayed current . . . always sought out young people and shared the wisdom and knowledge she had."

During the last few weeks, Chenault-Fattah said, it became clear that her time was limited. Everyone knew the reality, she said, but Ms. Huggins seemed such a constant, "we always thought she'd return."

A memorial service is scheduled Tuesday at Bright Hope Baptist Church.

Remembering Robin Mackintosh

For 40 years TV viewers have seen his heart and soul, but now we are sad to say goodbye to local news legend, Robin Mackintosh. Robin Mackintosh is a staple in Philadelphia news and he officially retires on July 30, 2008. CBS 3 remembers 40 wonderful years of service to the station and people across the Delaware Valley.


The TrekMedic adds:

In a day and age when TV newscasters are more famous for MAKING the news, rather than reporting it, its a shame to see these two go.

A McCain Moment!

Received this by e-mail from the Grand Old Partisan:


On this day in 1967, one hundred and thirty-four men died and sixty-two were wounded in a fire on an aircraft carrier, the USS Forrestal. Among the planes waited to take off, a missile misfired and hit another plane, sparking a massive inferno.

As bombs and fuel exploded, Lt. Commander John McCain jumped out of his own plane and ran toward the flames -- yes, toward the flames -- attempting to rescue another pilot. An exploding bomb then injured McCain in the chest and legs.


With his own ship out of commission, McCain volunteered for duty aboard the USS Oriskany. Three months later, he was shot down. He spent five and a half years in a communist prison, much of that time in solitary confinement.

Here is the video on YouTube.

Michael Zak is a popular speaker to Republican organizations around the country, showing office-holders, candidates and activists how they would benefit tremendously from appreciating the heritage of our Grand Old Party. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is his acclaimed history of the GOP from the Republican point of view. Each day, his Grand Old Partisan blog -- http://grandoldpartisan.typepad.com -- celebrates 154 years of Republican heroes and heroics. See www.republicanbasics.com for more information.

Empty Promises From an Empty Suit

HT to ALa for the pic:



The more the TrekMedic thought about the Obamessiah's "Blame America World Tour 2008," the more he kept thinking of Peter Gabriel's song "I Don't Remember:"

I got no means to show identification
I got no papers show you what I am
You'll have to take me just the way that you find me
What's gone is gone and I do not give a damn
Empty stomach, empty head
I got empty heart and empty bed
I don't remember
I don't remember

I don't remember, I don't recall
I got no memory of anything at all
I don't remember, I don't recall
I got no memory of anything
-anything at all

Strange is your language and I have no decoder
Why don't you make your intentions clear
With eyes to the sun and your mouth to the soda
Saying, "Tell me the truth, you got nothing to fear
Stop staring at me like a bird of prey
I'm all mixed up, I got nothing to say

**THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!**

Caption It!

Following in the tradition of Wyatt, ALa, Captain America, RT, and others:

Something You Don't See Everyday,...

And some *&@^#%@% had to have a phone camera!





Yeah,..I actually work for a living!

Coming soon: The TrekMedic in his new "Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man" outfit!

Coming Soon,...

While everyone is running over themselves to see "Batman: The Dark Knight," the movie the TrekMedic is burning up to see is:




The SPIRIT!

The movie is from the same people behind "Sin City" and "300!"

Featuring some seriously HOT women:

Eva Mendes:



And Jaime King:



Look Familiar? She was also in Sin City:



Hmmm,...might be a Merry Christmas, after all!

We-e-e-e Are The Champions, My Frie-e-end!

OK,..it ain't the Phillies or Eagles, but,....

Soul wins ArenaBowl



By Kevin Tatum
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEW ORLEANS - With 39 seconds remaining in today's ArenaBowl, the Soul appeared headed to their first Arena Football League championship with plenty of points to spare.

But in a game in which touchdowns come one after another and the points usually keep piling up, it was not that easy for the Soul. Before they could finally claim a 59-56 victory over the San Jose SaberCats, the Soul had to sweat it out after the defending champions erased all but three points of a 17-point deficit.

"All I could think about was the Philadelphia curse," Soul coach Bret Munsey said afterward with a laugh. "I hope this clears the way for Mo Cheeks and Andy Reid, and those guys. Now we can win championships in Philadelphia. I hope that takes care of everything."

A sellout crowd of 17,244 was on hand at the New Orleans Arena, and a Soul spokesperson said nearly 2,000 of those fans were from the Philadelphia area.

The Soul (16-3), who have been in existence for five seasons, made their first appearance in the title game. San Jose (13-6), which was after its fourth crown in seven years, had never lost a final.

On a day on which Soul quarterback Matt D'Orazio was named the game's most valuable player after passing for seven touchdowns - three to offensive player of the game Chris Jackson - it was his team's first-half defense that proved to be the difference in the game.

The Soul led, 46-34, going into the fourth quarter, with two of those points coming on a third-period safety by linebacker Raheem Orr. The Soul, who scored during the first quarter after coming up with an interception and after ending a SaberCats drive on downs, added one fumble recovery in each of the third and fourth periods.

"We just went out there and gave it our all and played total team defense," said Soul defensive tackle Gabe Nyenhuis, who had a sack and a forced fumble and was named defensive player of the game.

When the Soul and SaberCats faced off during the regular season in San Jose, that contest also went down to the wire. The Soul scored the deciding points of a 58-57 win on a two-point conversion run with 10 seconds remaining, and the SaberCats' 48-yard field goal attempt as time ran out was no good.

San Jose had a 33-14 advantage at intermission in the April 12 encounter.

Today, the Soul was up by 37-27 at the break, thanks largely to the defense coming up with the only defensive stops of the first two periods.

With the score knotted at 20-20, San Jose ran out of downs at its own 20-yard line, and the Soul took a 27-20 lead on a 20-yard touchdown pass from D'Orazio to wide receiver Larry Brackins with 5 minutes, 31 seconds left in the second quarter.

And, after Soul defensive back Eddie Moten picked off a pass and returned it 17 yards to the Soul's 23-yard line, D'Orazio scored on an eight-yard run with 54 seconds to go that gave his team a 34-20 advantage.

"We wanted to come out and play hard, but we made the game closer than what it should have been" Moten said. "But what's done is done. We're champions."

Notes. After the game, Soul owner Jon Bon Jovi said he would live up to his promise of performing at a free concert in Philadelphia if his team won the ArenaBowl. The date and time is to be announced.

We're Sorry, World,...

Hell, if the Obamessiah can do it,....

Received this by e-mail from The PokerMistress:



This 'Letter of Apology' was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired:

For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre.

I humbly offer my opinion here:
I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth; it was in the defense of Muslims ( Bosnia , Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait , etc.)

I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11.

I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.

I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships.

I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media.

I am sorry that Yasser Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian 'cause.'

I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

I am sorry that the U. S. A. has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for all their problems.

I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed liberal masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society like radical liberal professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).

I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the 'food for oil' money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.

I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death.

I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in 'paradise.'

I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate targets.

I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.

I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group.

I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.

I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.

I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient 'Holy Site.'

I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of our Holy Sites.

I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc....etc!

I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa .

America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do.
I am sorry the Barack Hussein Obama may be elected president of the United States when he doesn't have a clue on how to be a strong Commander-in-chief in a world filled with Muslim extremists who will do whatever it needs to do to destroy the lives of civilized people while killing innocent men, women and children in order to bring a change that is beneficial to all Islamic terrorists worldwide.

I am sorry that voters on the liberal left don't understand the frightening changes that are taking place
in the Muslim world and what these changes will do to this world in which we live.
I am sorry that the Democratic Party has been highjacked by Socialists and Communists right under the very noses of those who take pride in calling themselves democrats.

We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?

Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans.

If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long wait! You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins.

Chuck Pitman
Lieutenant General, USMC

Pass this on to your friends if you agree.
If not, I am sorry I offended you by passing on the facts.


Cross-posted at WRITEMARSH!

At the COPA,..COPAcabana,....

Oh, God,..I just referenced Barry Manilow, didn't I? Read on further and the reasons will be come perfectly queer,..I mean, clear:

From the Philadelphia, Weakly:


Segal’s Flight

The publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News joins a flock of prominent online voices in a fight against censorship.

by John Steele


When Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segal first heard about the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), an Internet censorship law that many believe would run roughshod over the First Amendment, he couldn’t help but remember the 1980s.

(TM-Pro-gay internet content is OK,...anti-gay content destroys the First Amendment? WTF?)

“Back then our community had no other place to look for HIV/AIDS information on a regular basis,” Segal says. “The nongay press didn’t fully understand the research.” Segal founded the PGN specifically because he felt a responsibility to inform the LGBT community of issues often overlooked by mainstream media. Now Segal believes COPA would put his mission in serious jeopardy.

For that reason the Philadelphia Gay News recently joined an ACLU lawsuit against COPA along with a veritable who’s-who of online writers, publishers and activists—from websites like Salon.com and UrbanDictionary to individual writers like beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

(TM - The ACLU is involved in further diluting the power of the First Amendment? Go figure!)

“Because the name of the bill contains the word ‘child’ and the word ‘online,’ many mistakenly think this is about child pornography,” says Catherine Crump, staff attorney with the ACLU. “The material COPA prohibits is any material that anyone in the most conservative community may think is harmful to minors.”

A large section of the COPA law deals with definitions. Certain relative terms like “commercial purposes” (money is being earned) and “minor” (a person 17 or younger) must be specifically defined. But it’s the section on the vague term “harmful to minors” that has upset some of America’s most respected online voices.

The statute defines material harmful to minors as “any communication, picture, image, graphic image file, article, recording, writing or other matter of any kind that is obscene,” but goes on to qualify the statement, referring to material that “the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find, taking the material as a whole and with respect to minors, is designed to appeal to, or is designed to pander to, the prurient interest.”

The law would also prohibit any material that “lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.”

“‘Harmful to minors,’ ‘of the prurient interest’ —no one knows what any of those terms mean,” says ACLU staff attorney Chris Hansen. “What we do know is that there are large segments of the population who believe that any speech about homosex-uality or even sexual activity, except for abstinence, is inappropriate for minors.”

(TM - Umm,..if you don't understand those terms, ask your university to give you back your tuition, Chris!)

Because the case is still under litigation, the Justice Department declined to comment for this story. But according to its brief, the term “harmful to minors” is well-defined by past Supreme Court rulings.

“Plaintiffs contend that this definition is ‘hopelessly uncertain,’” the brief states. “Although some uncertainty may nevertheless exist regarding the precise application of this definition to specific material, the Supreme Court has never held that the First Amendment requires absolute certainty regarding what a jury may find obscene or harmful to minors.”

Instead the Justice Department says the practical application and the “legislative history” of COPA limits its scope.

Salon.com doesn’t agree. The website joined the lawsuit because of items collected in a congressional study of sexually related material pertaining to COPA. The brief speaks to its claims, saying, “plaintiffs cite excerpts from the website of plaintiff Salon, but the majority of the material collected there—ranging from articles about sexual experiences, to sexual cartoons, to images of nude or partially nude prisoners at Abu Ghraib—is plainly not ‘harmful to minors,’ either because it does not appeal to the prurient interest of minors or it has serious value for older minors.”

The Justice Department defines older minors as over the age of 15. But this distinction appears nowhere in the original COPA statute. These definitions are again explained away through “practical application” and “legislative history”—ideas the ACLU and its plaintiffs don’t place much stock in.

“Our clients do not find it comforting that the government says, ‘We could prosecute you under the law but we won’t; don’t worry about it,’” Hansen says. “This is a criminal statute with criminal penalties, so if you’re the Philadelphia Gay News and you don’t know what’s inappropriate under the law and you don’t want to go to jail, what do you do? You start self-censoring.”

For PGN, it might mean it wouldn’t be able to report on safe sex, the problems of LGBT youth, drug problems in the LGBT community, hate crimes or even the activities of the religious right because someone may take offense. Because of civil penalties and provisions, the PGN could be open to countless frivolous lawsuits simply for producing a newspaper and publishing it on the Internet.

But for Mark Segal, the issue is bigger than potential obstacles in publishing. “We are by our very name an advocacy newspaper fighting for LGBT equality and a community platform,” Segal says. He objects to any roadblocks LGBT teens and young adults face when seeking sexual health information.

“Any individual who is sexually active and has the knowledge to understand where to find information that will keep him or her healthy should not be denied that information,” he says. “The opposite is a health catastrophe.”

The TrekMedic sashays in with:

Once again, more liberal double standards: Gays in Philadelphia got their own "Gayborhood," but if the city passed a law mandating them into a "gay ghetto," the ACLU would've sued the city into bankruptcy. They want to publish pro-gay literature and "educational" material to impressionable, hormone-insane teens, but won't allow the same for pro-heterosexual groups. And to regulate either side is an infringement on the First Amendment? Give me a f***king break! Chuck Norris was right!

Tangentially, read News-weak's cover story: "Young, Gay and Murdered in Junior High"

A Good "N" Word,...

That's "N" as is Norris,....Chuck Norris!

Tony "Number 1" Phyrillas posts this succinct essay on the liberalization of the US:


Norris writes:

This is more than a race issue and far more than a debate over freedom of speech. When will we learn that just because we can say something doesn't mean that we should? Once again, we're confusing liberty for licentiousness. It is a classic example of what happens when a society leaves its moral absolutes: Everything becomes culturally relative, with each deciding what's right in his own eyes. Language is one more infected arena in America's societal degradation.

Think about it. What word is nasty or unwholesome anymore? There are no "bad words." Words once considered evil are now terms of endearment. There's the B-word, the D-word, the A-word, the F-word, etc. Even bleeps are mere blips on America's moral radar screens. When ministers use G-- d--- in their sermons and moral activists threaten to cut off a presidential candidate's genitals and call him the N-word, can't we see the signs that we're heading in the wrong direction? We have become desensitized to everything, from profanity to pornography.

Today's America is certainly not the one in which I grew up during the '40s and '50s. Profanity of any sort was wrong back then and frowned upon by most in private or public use. Today profanity has become a positive form of expression, with studies even showing that it releases stress and boosts morale at the workplace!

I genuinely believe we can do better. I believe we must do better. We need to leave a better legacy of decency, civility and respect for future generations. I believe we need to give them our best, and our best must be more than justifying the use of derogatory language based upon cultural or racial relativity or even freedom of speech. If we're going to reverse negative trends among our youth, it's going to begin with us establishing a better model for them of how we treat and speak about others.

Read the full column, "What the Bleep?!" at Human Events.com

This is Absolutely SICK!

Saw this T-shirt on some loser in NYC a few weeks ago. I totally forgot about it until my friend, TrainGuy61, brought it up again:

Copyright infringement? Or fear of a small, black man?

Pissed Off Liberals, or.....?

HT to Isophorone for this one:

DNC concerns: Did protesters plan to throw urine?

Posted: July 23, 2008 11:07 AM
Updated: July 23, 2008 11:07 AM

DENVER (KJCT) -- A new kind of warning has come up about protesters gearing up for the Democratic National Convention.

Denver firefighters have learned of a house full of urine being stored to throw at police. An internal memo is warning first responders that disgusting acts are a significant concern.

Protesters in other cities have used urine and feces filled balloons to throw at police and there are concerns that could happen during the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Denver City Councilman Doug Linkhart has proposed an ordinance to keep protesters from carrying the so called urine bombs or other liquids in the protest areas.

But--representatives from the group Recreate 68, dismisses the concerns.

"They are doing their best to make people afraid of us, to make people afraid to be anywhere near us," Said Recreate 68 spokesperson Mark Cohen.

An internal memo from Denver Health and Human Resources is warning first responders about the risks of being exposed to certain bodily fluids.

The group which is planning major protests at the convention, say police are releasing the information to make people afraid of them and to discourage people from protesting.

Random TV Thoughts,....

As the TrekMedic was draining away some of the 99%-occupied space on the DVR, he started thinking of the days of old, when TV was black and white, and NBC had to remind you which shows were in color:




Back in those days, we had three networks. During the summer, those three networks generally kept us entertained with one of three things:

1. Repeats of the more popular TV shows (Adam-12, Emergency and Dragnet for me!)
2. Failed pilots - just to show you what your WEREN'T going to see in the following season!
3. Battle of the Network Stars

That kind of mindless crap, along with some PBS shows for the high-fallutin' types, kept us entertained at night.

Then, about 10 years ago, some grey-matter deficient imbecile convinced a bunch of grey-matter deficient Hollyweird network heads to air something new: Let's drop a dozen strangers on an island, make them do stupid s**t and yell at each other, and tape it for broadcast later!

Amazingly, it was an instant hit with grey-matter deficient Boobis Americanis viewers!

Next thing you know, ALL 6 networks (or is it 5,...or 7? whateva,..) started gathering up groups of people, making them sing, dance, eat cockroaches and pitch woo to one another, all for the sake of "reality."

Meanwhile, when nobody was paying attention, cable TV started putting some big money into creating new shows of their own!

HBO created "The Wire" and a little show about a small, Italian family from North Jersey.

Showtime created "Weeds" and "The Tudors."

TNT created the superb "The Closer" and the controversial "Saving Grace."

Hell, even ABC Family created the subversively funny "Slacker Cats" and "Middleman!"

Now, gentle readers,..the point to this meandering post about yesteryear and the TrekMedic's taste in entertainment?

Well, the moral of the story is this: just because the MSM feeds you a steady stream of pre-digested bulls**t, doesn't mean you have to consume it! Just forage a little more and you'll eventually find the truth!

**THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!**

Ich Bin Ein Flip-Flopper,...

The Obamessiah's Hot Air!

Competing optics: Cheering Germans or American military? Update: Snubbing wounded soldiers? Update: Touring Berlin instead? Update: It is/is not a campaign event?
posted at 10:50 am on July 24, 2008 by Ed Morrissey

I guess this is a question of priorities. Barack Obama apparently ran short on time in his visit to Germany today, and travelers know how schedules can slip during long tours, even without all of the events Obama had planned. Those circumstances force people to prioritize their time, and eliminate less-useful stops.

So what did Obama cut today? Der Spiegel’s blog reports on Obama’s priorities:

++ Visit to US Military Bases Cancelled ++

1:42 p.m.: SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Obama has cancelled a planned short visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl US military bases in the southwest German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The visits were planned for Friday. “Barack Obama will not be coming to us,” a spokesperson for the US military hospital in Landstuhl announced. “I don’t know why.” Shortly before the same spokeswoman had announced a planned visit by Obama.

On the other hand, the campaign apparently has no problem in keeping this event on its schedule:



The message here is that thousands of screaming German fans at the Tiergarten take precedence over visiting Americans serving their country at Rammstein and Landstuhl. Maybe one of the networks following Obama could interview a few of the soldiers about how they perceive that set of priorities from Obama.


Morrisey has multiple updates to match the multiple changes in venue/ideology/campaign strategy of Der Flip-Flopper.

Barack even spreads more Obamanure when he uses the Socialist catchphrase "citizen of the world!"

Has the Ninth Circuit Moved East??

So, apparently, boobs (other than Barack Obama) are OK on TV now??

Court tosses FCC 'wardrobe malfunction' fine

By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago

PHILADELPHIA - Among the most notorious on-screen gaffes ever, Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction" on CBS during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show drew a $550,000 indecency fine from the Federal Communications Commission. Now a federal appeals court has thrown it out.
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A panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the FCC "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in issuing the fine for the fleeting image of nudity, which it noted lasted just over half a second. An estimated 90 million people watching the Super Bowl heard Justin Timberlake sing, "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song," as he reached for Jackson's bustier.

The court said the FCC deviated from its nearly 30-year practice of fining indecent broadcast programming only when it was so "pervasive as to amount to 'shock treatment' for the audience."

Duke University law professor Stuart M. Benjamin, a telecommunications law expert, called the decision "a slap in face for the FCC." But the long-term significance of Monday's ruling is uncertain, given the Supreme Court's decision to take up a broadcast indecency case later this year — the first since 1978.

FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin said he was "surprised by today's decision and disappointed for families and parents."

"I continue to believe that this incident was inappropriate, and this only highlights the importance of the Supreme Court's consideration of our indecency rules this fall," Martin said.

Lurking behind the case, Benjamin said, is a "really big First Amendment issue: Is there really any difference between broadcast and cable, Internet, books, et cetera?"

"If we apply the same First Amendment scrutiny to broadcast as we do to other forms of communication, all these broadcast indecency rules are almost certainly unconstitutional," he said.

In siding with CBS, the 3rd Circuit panel found that the FCC strayed from its long-held approach of applying identical standards to words and images when reviewing complaints of indecency.

"Like any agency, the FCC may change its policies without judicial second-guessing," the court said. "But it cannot change a well-established course of action without supplying notice of and a reasoned explanation for its policy departure."

CBS said it hoped the decision "will lead the FCC to return to the policy of restrained indecency enforcement it followed for decades."

"This is an important win for the entire broadcasting industry because it recognizes that there are rare instances, particularly during live programming, when it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material, despite best efforts," the network said.

Andrew Jay Schwartzman of the Media Access Project, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of a group of TV writers, directors and producers, said the ruling helps preserve creative freedom on the air.

"The court agreed with us: the FCC's inconsistent and unexplained departure from prior decisions leaves artists and journalists confused as to what is, and is not, permissible," he said.

But Tim Winter of the watchdog organization Parents Television Council said the decision "borders on judicial stupidity."

"If a striptease during the Super Bowl in front of 90 million people — including millions of children — doesn't fit the parameters of broadcast indecency, then what does?" Winter said.

The FCC had argued that Jackson's nudity, albeit fleeting, was graphic and explicit and CBS should have been forewarned.

At the time, broadcasters did not employ a video delay for live events, a policy remedied within a week of the game.

In challenging the fine, CBS said that "fleeting, isolated or unintended" images should not automatically be considered indecent. But the FCC said Jackson and Timberlake were employees of CBS and that the network should have to pay for their "willful" actions, given its lack of oversight.

The $550,000 fine represented the maximum $27,500 levied against each of the network's 20 owned-and-operated stations.

Shortly after the 2004 Super Bowl, the FCC changed its policy on fleeting indecency following an NBC broadcast of the Golden Globes awards show on which U2 lead singer Bono uttered an unscripted expletive. The FCC said at the time that the F-word in any context "inherently has a sexual connotation" and can trigger enforcement.

NBC challenged the decision, but that case has yet to be resolved.

In June 2007, a federal appeals court in New York invalidated the government's policy on fleeting profanities uttered over the airwaves in a case involving remarks by Cher and Nicole Richie on awards shows carried on Fox stations. The Supreme Court will hear the case this fall.

___

On the Net:

CBS v. FCC: http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/063575p.pdf

Who Says the MSM Isn't Interesting,...

Mendte charged with hacking into Alycia Lane’s e-mail

By Michael Klein and Joseph A. Gambardello
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

Former CBS3 anchor Larry Mendte was charged today with hacking into the personal e-mail of onetime colleague Alycia Lane 537 times from January to May of this year and sharing the information with a Philadelphia Daily News reporter.

"This case ... went well beyond just reading someone's e-mail," said a statement from acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid, who charged Mendte, 51, in an information with one felony count. He is not expected to surrender today. ("Paging Captain Obvious! Captain Obvious, line 1" - TM)

Mendte poked into the accounts from his seat at the CBS3 anchor desk, from his vacation home and even once from a computer at the Union League, the august Center City club, according to the information. Mendte is a member of the Union League, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Sources said Mendte was expected to plead guilty, and would face zero to six months in prison under sentencing guidelines.

The Daily News reporter was not identified by the U.S. Attorney's Office and Magid said the reporter would not be charged.

Mendte's lawyer, Michael A. Schwartz, said the charge against his client should come as no surprise. "Larry has been cooperating fully with the investigators. He continues to cooperate and will accept full responsibility for his actions."

Magid did not give a motive, other than to say the snooping was "an attempt to undermine his former colleague's ongoing legal cases."

On the morning of May 29, FBI agents armed with a search warrant arrived at the Chestnut Hill home Mendte shares with his wife, Fox29 anchor Dawn Stensland. Mendte went to work the next day, but left abruptly.

Sources said that software that secretly captures keystrokes - including passwords - had been installed on a CBS3 computer.

Mendte, 51, grossed more than $700,000 a year as CBS3's marquee anchor. The station fired Mendte three weeks after FBI agents seized his home computer.

CBS3 had no comment on the charges.

The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to address how Mendte had obtained Lane's password.

Mendte was fired nearly six months after CBS3 fired Lane, following her arrest in New York for allegedly hitting a cop.

In the information released by the FBI, Mendte read e-mails from two of Lane's e-mail accounts beginning as early as March 2006. He was charged only with the intrusions from January to May of this year, after Lane was fired.

Lane filed a lawsuit June 19 that claimed Mendte worked to discredit her behind the scenes and that CBS3 defamed her as she was fired from her $800,000-a-year job.

It is illegal under federal law to read another person's e-mails without permission. However, people charged with such a crime are rarely sentenced to prison, unless the crime includes significant economic or physical harm.

Lane had been vexed by apparent leaks of personal information for at least two years, according to her lawsuit against CBS3. In it, she alleges that certain details - including photos of Lane's meeting with Prince Albert of Monaco and the reaction of sports anchor Rich Eisen's wife to photos that Lane had sent - were leaked by someone who had read her e-mails.

Lane and Mendte coanchored CBS3's 6 and 11 p.m. news until Dec. 14. Lane was arrested early Dec. 16 in New York when she was accused of hitting a police officer. Felony charges against Lane have been dropped.



The TrekMedic adds:

The New Mendte Keyboard:

You're Ugly and Your Mother Dresses You Funny!

Remember when stuff like that was your last retort when you'd been beaten in a game of oneupmanship? Or saying "Oh, yeah,...? Well, so are you!"

This week's quote by Squeaker of the Mouse Nancy Pelosi on President Bush was pretty much the political equivalent:

In an interview on CNN, the California Democrat was asked to respond to video of the president criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for heading into the final 26 days of the legislative session without having passed a single government spending bill. Pelosi shot back in unusually personal terms. "You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject," Pelosi replied. She then tsk-tsked Bush for "challenging Congress when we are trying to sweep up after his mess over and over and over again."

Yeah,...OK. This is the same Nancy Pelosi that BS'ed Americans into voting the Dumb-o-crats into office in 2006. She chided Republicans for the rising cost of gasoline. Its doubled in the less than 2 years since she and her liberal, fecal-gray-matter-possessing ilk, took over Congress!

And through it all, this "failure" of a President has pushed forward:

A withdrawal through victory from Iraq is on the horizon.

The much-vaunted agenda of the Democrats has been so stifled, they have been called capitulators by the liberal Nutroots.

W dropped the ban on off-shore oil drilling and the price per barrel of oil dropped. Not by going green or "talking" with our enemies, but by the stroke of the pen of the leader of the free world.

And their best hope for taking the White House is a neophyte weather vane with more baggage than Slick Willie?

C'mon, Nancy, get real!

The TrekMedic Rebounds!

5 point gain for the TrekMedic, but a huge loss for Tony P!

BlogNetNews PA Top 20:

Those worthy of reading are in RED

1 Lehigh Valley Ramblings
2 TONY PHYRILLAS
3 GrassrootsPA
4 Suburban Guerrilla
5 POLICY BLOG
6 THE CENTRIST
7 Philebrity
8 PolitickerPA
9 PowerBlog!
10 Capitol Ideas
11 Booman Tribune
12 PSoTD
13 Is this Life?
13 NEPALibWatch
15 Pawatercooler.com
16 Fact-esque
17 molovinsky on allentown
18 Comments From Left Field
19 Froth Slosh B'Gosh
20 Above Average Jane

Again,..worthy of consideration:

Northern Lehigh Valley Logic
Page 13 News
Save the GOP!
The Clarke Report
Lincoln Blog
Writemarsh
Pro-Life PA
Gunservatively!

Barry Funny, Obama,....

HT to Rachel Marsden:

An "Awwww" Moment,....

This week Medic Mike's spawn and TrekMedic's goddaughter, Lexi, turned one!

Pics:





Hmm,....the kid's bald at 1 year old and smiles when she farts. Sure she's your kid, Mike??

Re-e-e-al Men of Ge-e-nius!

HT to PaleRider55:


The Obamessiah Needs 300 Foreign Policy Advisors???

Obviously, Barack needs a lot of input being completely clueless on national security issues. BUT 300 ADVISORS??? How many will he need for other issues he knows zilch about?


From Michelle Malkin:
That’s quite a carbon footprint. But he needs that many–not just to compensate for his complete lack of foreign policy chops, but because he throws so many of his advisers and acolytes off the bus each week. Gotta have padding.


The TrekMedic adds:

Isn't that just the liberal/socialist style? Loads of government workers, doing nothing, all for the greater cause of "helping you?"

Real Men,....

Cross-posting from a blog that recently popped up on the intelligent side of BlogNetNews:


NRO: Top 10 Reasons Real Men Vote for John McCain:


Top 10 reasons real men vote for John McCain, provided by Lou Aguilar at National Review Online. I like number 7 myself:

7. Obama is married to a bitter, angry lawyer who became “proud” of her country for the first time this year. McCain’s wife is a beer heiress who founded an organization to provide MASH-style units to disaster-torn world regions. Did I mention that she’s a beer heiress?

Liquor May Be Quicker, but,....

Candy's dandy!

(Hey, if it can get Tony Phyrillas to number 1 in PA with this stuff, why not me?)

Religion of Peace?

Hamas Children's Show Discusses Severing Hands As Punishment for Theft

Thursday, July 17, 2008

A popular Hamas children's television program shows a giant bunny character who is lured into stealing money — and then is sentenced by a child host to have his hand chopped off.

In the July 11 installment of "The Pioneers of Tomorrow," which aired on Al-Aqsa TV, the recurring character "Assud the Bunny" creeps away from his napping father with a handful of cash. Assud begins to second-guess his decision to steal his father's money, but Satan successfully encourages him to go through with the petty theft.

Assud then discusses his "crime" with child TV host Saraa, and a young girl is heard saying, "The Prophet Muhammad said: 'If my daughter Fatima had stolen, I would have chopped off her hand. If you were in Saudi Arabia now, they would chop off your hand.'"

A heated debate follows between Saraa and two young viewers, who discuss whether Assud deserves to have his hand chopped off. (Under strict Sharia law, a person caught stealing is subject to having his hand amputated.)

In the end, Assud vows never to repeat his sin and pleads with his young counterparts until they consider his repentance, according to The Middle East Media Research Institute, a media monitoring group that provided a translation of the show.

Luckily, Saraa has just the right compromise to resolve the conflict.

"Well, if we don't chop off his hand, maybe we should chop off his ear?"

While such children's programs are considered shocking for U.S. audiences, they are widespread and popular in Arabic culture. Other characters on the network have included a "Farfour the Mouse," a militant Mickey Mouse look-alike who martyrs himself fighting Israel, and "Nahoul the Bee," designed to inspire future homicide bombers.

A March 30 program, also aired on Al-Aqsa television, showed a boy stabbing President Bush to death after exclaiming, "I will kill you, Bush, because that is your fate."

Click here to watch the video


The TrekMedic is flabbergasted:

Maybe what Hamas needs is a visit from Benjamin "The Bear" Netanyahu and Ehud "The Elephant" Olmert.

Whoopi Goldberg Cuts Obama's Campaign Off at the Knees

Elisabeth Hasselbeck in Tears After 'View' Discussion on N-Word

Thursday, July 17, 2008

"View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck was in tears Thursday after a discussion about the use of the n-word, in which fellow co-host Whoopi Goldberg told her the two "don't live in the same world."

During a segment covering Jesse Jackson's recent use of the n-word while preparing to tape an interview on FOX News, Whoopi and co-host Sherri Shepard, who are both black, contested that the word has a different meaning for black people.

"It's something that means something way different to me than it does to you," said Shepard. "I can use it as a term of endearment."

Shepard also said to co-host Barbara Walters: "I don't want to hear it come out of your mouth."

Hasselbeck contested that "We [blacks and whites] don't live in different worlds, we live in the same world."

Goldberg, who used the n-word repeatedly during the broadcast (it was bleeped out), said that "We don't live in the same world. What I need you to understand is the frustration that goes along with when you say we live in the same world. It isn't balanced."

Hasslebeck tearfully replied that "when we live in a world where pop culture then uses that term, and we're trying to get to a place where we feel like we're in the same place, where we feel like we're in the same world ... how are we supposed to then move forward if we keep using terms that bring back that pain?"

Click here to see a video of the exchange from the Huffington Post.

The TrekMedic grabs a 40, turns on Power 99 and raps:

Well,..I guess every "negro" supporting the Obama Lama's message of "change" and "hope" are showing their true colors - and I mean that literally.





Oh, yeah,..and like you were going to see ME rap,......

You Can Get "Married" but You Still Won't Count,....

Census Bureau: Gay Marriages Won't Count in 2010
Thursday, July 17, 2008

WASHINGTON — Same-sex marriage is legal in two states, but not a single one will show up in the 2010 census.

The Census Bureau says the federal Defense of Marriage Act bars the agency from recognizing gay marriages in the nation's 10-year count, even though the marriages are legal in Massachusetts and California.

The agency's director, Steven Murdock, said in an interview Thursday that the 1996 federal law "has that effect, in terms of being a federal agency. We are restricted by it."

The Census Bureau does not ask people about their sexual orientation, but it does ask about their relationships to the head of the household. Many gay couples are listed in census figures as unmarried, same-sex partners, though it is an imperfect tally of all gay couples.

Murdock said the bureau will strive to count same-sex couples in the 2010 census, just as it has in the past. But those people who say they are married will be reclassified as unmarried, same-sex partners.

Same-sex couples with no children will not be classified as families, according the bureau's policy. Those with children who are related to the head of the household will be classified as families.

Gay rights advocates complained that the Census Bureau is depriving them of a hard-fought legal recognition.

"To completely whitewash us out of existence is hurtful, discriminatory and shameful," said Molly McKay of Marriage Equality USA, a California-based group that advocates for same-sex marriage. "It's like the federal government is trying to say that we don't exist." (And your point is,...? - TM)

McKay said an accurate count of same-sex married couples would help policymakers determine the costs of providing benefits.

McKay, 38, said she plans to marry her partner of 12 years on Sept. 1, now that they are legally able to marry in California. She said they consider themselves "an old married couple," even if the government doesn't.

"This is a very sweet moment in our life. It really is an absolutely joyous time," McKay said. "The notion that the federal government is going to come in and erase our existence is un-American." (The notion that you should be married is un-American! - TM)

The Census Bureau is required by the Constitution to conduct a comprehensive count of the nation's residents every 10 years. Every question is either mandated by federal law or used to administer a federal program, Murdock said.

Same-sex marriage was not an issue in the 2000 census because it wasn't legal in any state. The Census Bureau's policy on same-sex marriages was first reported in the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.

The bureau relies almost entirely on people's responses to classify them by race, ethnicity, age and income. But not marital status — at least not in 2010.

"It really should be what you say you are, not what I perceive you to be," Murdock said. But, the agency director added, "We have some limitations. This particular act limits us in regards to this issue."

The TrekMedic pundits:

OK, gentle readers, show of hands: how many think the ACLU and/or the Ninth Circus,...er,...I mean, Circuit Appellate Court will stick their two cents into this affair before 2010??

Phillies at the Halfway Mark

Phillies' second half loaded with potential

Jayson Werth was the first to say it. "We're a second-half team," the Phillies outfielder said last week. The statistics back him up. Last year, the Phillies were 44-44 heading into the All-Star break. They hit .269, and had a 4.91 team ERA.

The TrekMedic's take on the Fightin' Phils:

Let's go by position numbers:

1 - Starting Rotation:

• Hamels - Everything we've expected from him. Clearly, the team's ace.
• Myers - Victim of reliever adrenaline intoxication. Maybe his stint in the minors cleared his head.
• Kendrick - sophomore slump? What sophomore slump?
• Eaton - Go away. Please. Very soon.
  
• Moyer - Old Guys Rule! 'Nuff said.

2 - Catchers:

• Ruiz - Great defensive catcher. Needs to stop being so insecure about his job and just play the game
• Coste - See Moyer comment.

3 - First Base:

• Ryan Howard - OK,..we KNOW he's a cold bat in April. Will the sportwriters PLEASE give him a break. Anyone who bats .220 and puts up his kind of numbers deserves special consideration. Now, about his glove play,...well,..no MVP this year, Ryan,

4 - Second Base:

• Chase Utley - Putting up MVP-style numbers. But will anti-Phillies sentiment and that foul mouth of his cost us the infield trifecta?

5 - Third Base:

• Pedro Feliz - Everything we expected from him when we singed him up. Then again, anything would be an improvement over Wes "Prince Valium"Helms.
• Greg Dobbs - Great bench guy, holds down the fort, needs a stronger arm, though.

6 - Shortstop:

• Jimmy Rollins - seems a little off from last year's MVP season. Still better than 99% of the shortstops in the majors.
• Eric Bruntlett - filled in admirably for J-Roll when he was hurt. A solid player from the bench.

7 - Right Field:

• Jayson Werth - almost makes you forget about Aaron Rowand. Almost.
• Geoff Jenkins - sometimes makes you forget about Aaron Rowand. Sometimes makes you glad we have Jayson Werth.

8 - Centerfield:

• Shane Victorino - he's "The Flyin' Hawaiian" for a reason, folks.

9 - Left Field:

• Pat Burrell - Damn! We should have dangled a contract extension in front of him years ago. Imagine the pennants we've probably lost because of it? /snark

And,..the bullpen:

• Clay Condrey and Chad Durbin - solid, long-inning men. They've kept us in games that should've been blowouts.
• JD Romero - still a great set-up guy. Needs to get his temper to work FOR him, not against him.
• Ryan Madson - solid relief work. We may never see him live up to his full potential, though
• Tom "Flush" Gordon - why are you still here??
• Brad Lidge - "Lights Out" is right. And worth that 3-year deal. And,...he doesn't have a mouth like that a**hole up there at Shea.

And So Taguchi....?

So?

The TrekMedic's prediction? 90 wins and see you in October!

No, New Yawk,...F**k YOU!

Utley's curse word overheard

By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer

NEW YORK - Chase Utley is not much of a fan of the limelight.

If there were TV cameras at one end of a tunnel and a fire, killer bees and Kimbo Slice at the other end, Utley might try to run through the fire and killer bees and fight Slice to escape.

But Utley inadvertently put himself into the type of situation he loathes when he uttered an obscenity as he was introduced before the Home Run Derby last night at Yankee Stadium. As Utley ran onto the field to stand next to Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, New York Mets fans lustily booed Utley.

To which Utley responded, "Boo? [Expletive]."

Utley isn't the first person to utter those words to Mets fans, but he clearly said them in jest.

He obviously did not realize that the ESPN wireless microphone he wore would put his words live on TV for millions to hear. It did, and it took about, oh, five minutes for the video to be posted on YouTube, where his words clearly are audible.

"I do want to apologize because it was definitely a poor choice of words," Utley said after he hit five home runs and failed to advance to the second round. "I really didn't mean anything by it. I was kind of just joking around with my buddy over there [Uggla], so again, I do want to apologize."

A Major League Baseball spokesman said networks are supposed to adhere to a delay on players, coaches and managers who wear wireless microphones. After all, this is baseball and players, coaches and managers have been known to swear from time to time. But something went wrong.

"It was an unfortunate mistake," ESPN's manager of communications, Nate Smeltz, said in a statement. "We apologize to our viewers.

"There was a five-second delay in place for the competition, though this took place during the introductions."

Seven of the eight players were miked for the event. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun was not.

Oddly enough, Utley had talked yesterday afternoon about how he is not a fan of being the center of attention.

"It would be tough being Alex Rodriguez, I'm not going to lie," Utley said during a session with the media at the Grand Hyatt. "Playing in New York, being the unbelievable player that he is, he gets a lot of attention, not only on the field, but off the field. It would be tough for me. I imagine it would be tough for a lot of people, but for me it definitely would be tough."

Minnesota's Justin Morneau beat Texas' Josh Hamilton in the final round for the Home Run Derby championship, five homers to three, although Hamilton clearly stole the show when he hit a record 28 homers in the first round. That broke the single-round record that Bobby Abreu set in 2005, when the outfielder, who was then with the Phillies, hit 24 on his way to the title in Detroit.

BECAUSE NOBODY BOOS CHASE UTLEY, SECOND BASEMAN FOR THE TEAM TO BEAT!!

A Phillebrity Passes,....

Philadelphia's Spectrum to be demolished

RANDY PENNELL
The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - One more link to Philadelphia's championship history is destined for destruction. The Spectrum, once home to title-winning 76ers and Flyers teams, will close in 2009 and be demolished to make way for an entertainment development, arena owner Comcast-Spectacor announced Tuesday.

"The Spectrum is my baby," Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider said. "But after a lot of thinking and discussions, we all feel it is in our best interest to close the Spectrum."

The arena, where the Flyers faced off against the Soviet Red Army team and Christian Laettner hit his last-second game-winner to beat Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA tournament, will close following the 2008-09 hockey and soccer seasons.

The Flyers were the only major Philadelphia team to clinch a title in the building, capturing the Stanley Cup in 1974 with a 1-0 victory over Boston.

"It's something we've been reluctant to do, but at this point, I think the building has seen its best days," Snider said in a video Comcast-Spectacor put up on a Spectrum tribute site, http://www.rememberthespectrum.com. "We'll have great memories from this building."

The demolition of the Spectrum will be part of a larger plan for a retail and entertainment development at the stadium complex, which is also the site of Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park. The project, dubbed Philly Live!, would include shops, bars and restaurants. The development would be located on the site of a parking lot that currently separates the Spectrum from the Wachovia Center. Preliminary plans showed a hotel where the Spectrum is currently located.

The Spectrum was the last building at the stadium complex that had been home to a title-winning major franchise. Philadelphia has not had a major professional team win a championship since the 76ers in 1983. Veterans Stadium, home to the 1980 World Series champion Phillies, was demolished in 2004.

The Flyers' minor league affiliate, the Phantoms, and an indoor soccer team, the Kixx, play at the Spectrum. Comcast-Spectacor is in negotiations to relocate the Phantoms to another facility in time for the start of the 2009-10 season.

The future of the Kixx is clouded by the fact that its league, the Major Indoor Soccer League, shut down in May. The league is trying to restart in a new form sometime before the 2008-09 season.

The Flyers and Sixers played in the Spectrum from its opening in 1967 until 1996, when they moved to the Wachovia Center.

The Spectrum hosted two NCAA Final Fours, in 1976 and 1981. Indiana won both times, giving Bobby Knight his first two titles. The arena has also been a popular concert venue, hosting acts ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Luciano Pavarotti.

Comcast-Spectacor, a unit of cable giant Comcast Corp., owns the Flyers, 76ers, Phantoms, the Wachovia Center and the Wachovia Spectrum. It also runs arenas around the country and has food service, ticketing and advertising interests.