Government Financial Follies of 2011

The government wasting money on ridiculous crap?  Broken political promises?  Obama getting a pass from the mainstream media?  YOU DON'T SAY!!!

On Drudge, a picture tells a thousand words.  The accompanying headlines tell a few thousand more.

<Obama voice>AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!</Obama voice>

Shrimp on treadmills?  Gelatin wrestling in Antarctica?  No wonder Hollywood loves these guys, at least they come up with original ideas.  Unlike some people we know.  As for "helping" five year olds sit still...not sure where they're going with that.  Horse tranquilizers, maybe?

The only way this could get any better is if Obama is confronted with the line-by-line thing and responds by looking confused and protesting, "But I did go line by line to make sure we're not spending unwisely.  What?"

AMPAS Screening Series: "Summer of Silents"

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences presents Summer of Silents, a series of Photoplay Award winning films.

June 13 - Humoresque (1920)
June 20 - Tol'able David (1921)
June 27 - Robin Hood (1922)
July 4 - No screening
July 11 - The Covered Wagon (1923) with a surviving fragment of Abraham Lincoln (1924)
July 18 - The Big Parade (1925)
July 20 - COMEDY BONUS – The General (1927)
July 25 - Beau Geste (1926)
August 1 - 7th Heaven (1927)
August 8 - Four Sons (1928)

As usual, screenings at the Academy are more than just seeing a movie:

The nine evenings will feature the best available prints, music performed and composed by a variety of accompanists specializing in the period, a comedy short featuring a different silent screen comedian each week, and surviving fragments of lost films from the era, introduced by film historians including recent honorary Oscar recipient Kevin Brownlow. 

The Photoplay Magazine Medal of Honor was a Best Picture award that predated the Oscars and was voted on not by members of the industry, but by the public.

Beginning in 1920, Photoplay gave out what is considered the first significant annual movie award, the Photoplay Medal of Honor (later Gold Medal). An actual medallion produced by Tiffany & Co., it was voted on by the readers of the magazine and given to the producer of the year's best film, chosen with an emphasis on (according to Quirk) "the ideals and motives governing its production... the worth of its dramatic message." Though Photoplay only gave the single award for best film, its intentions and standards were influential on the Academy Awards founded later in the decade, and they overlap on Best Picture choices to some extent, though increasingly in the 1930s Photoplay's choices reflected its primarily female audience. By 1939 the Medal of Honor had declined in importance and the award was discontinued that year.

Tickets go on sale June 1.

As much as I hate the idea of being one of those people who juggle multiple blogs...

I'm thinking I need this blog for personal and creative stuff and a new one for politics that needs to be called "If A Republican/Conservative Did This He/She Would Be Raked Over The Coals" or something to that effect.  The wealth of material for a project like that has been overwhelming lately and has completely taken over my writing and my blog.

Or, in this case, "If A Straight Republican/ Conservative Did This He/She Would Be Raked Over The Coals": U.S. Rep Barney Frank admits he helped then-lover get lucrative government post.  Raise your hand if you already knew this, because it wasn't exactly a state secret.  Keep raising your hand if you're a Dem/lib and conveniently ignored it because it was one of your own and not one of those filthy Rethug/Conservative/Christian hypocrites.  Yeah, all of you.  I know you arm is getting tired, but that's your punishment for being PC and biased as opposed to honest.  It's more punishment than Frank is likely to get for his blatant and unapologetic lack of ethics.

Some choice quotes from Representative Frank (bold mine):

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank admitted he helped his ex-lover land a lucrative post with Fannie Mae in the early 1990s while the Newton Democrat was on a committee that regulated the lending giant — but he called questions of a potential ethical conflict “nonsense.”

“If it is (a conflict of interest), then much of Washington is involved (in conflicts),” Frank told the Herald last night. 

Actually, as stupid as those comments are in the real world where the rest of us live, to a privileged career pol like Frank it makes perfect sense.  Move along folks, nothing to see here, despite the fact that he is clearly guilty of using his influence to benefit his boyfriend, possibly to the detriment of a more qualified individual.  Not to mention that if this story was about a Republican representative, Frank and his fellow Dems - with a big assist to their enablers in the mainstream media - would probably hound the offending individual out of office.  Two wrongs only make a right when certain people are caught misbehaving and besides, rules are only for little people, not him.  Add in the additional PC protected class of him being gay and he's pretty much untouchable.

Maybe it's just coincidence that when Frank and the boyfriend split up, the boyfriend left the job Frank had helped him land. (bold mine again):

Moses, who lived with Frank in Washington at the time, worked for Fannie until 1998, when he left the mortgage behemoth. Moses, who could not be reached for comment, and Frank split up that year...

Frank was a junior member on the House Financial Services Committee at the time he helped Moses land the job and served on the committee, which regulates lenders, for the duration of their relationship...

In an interview Tuesday on WBUR’s “Fresh Air,” Morgensen said Frank “was very aggressive and really tough on those who were testifying in Congress about reining in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac” during hearings after Moses was hired. She said Fannie Mae “rolled out the red carpet” for Moses as part of a strategy to curry favor with Frank and other members of the Financial Services Committee.

Morgensen also noted that members of the committee raked in tens of thousands in campaign donations from Fannie and Freddie execs, including Frank, who received $42,000 in contributions from 1989 through 2008.

Nope, no conflict of interest at all.  But you just know if a Republican had pulled this shit he'd be in deep shit, and rightly so.  Since Frank is a Dem and gay to boot, I have a feeling this will be conveniently swept under the carpet and I think that's a shame.  It's not just Frank; I'd like to see the same standards applied to unethical and criminal politicians regardless of their party.  I'm a big fan of fair play and I'm also a big fan of seeing people get what they've earned and deserve, whether it's good or bad.  Plus, we're never going to have partisanship or the ability to truly work for the common good in our government if we have double standards for one party versus the other.  The sooner we hold all pols accountable, the sooner they remember who they really work for.

Maybe I'll call the new political blog "Double Standard" instead.  Says the same thing, but would be a lot easier to fit on the banner.

From the Department of Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should...

Carrie remake.

Thin Man remake.

Neither of these films needs to be remade.  Seriously people, write something original.

 Now that Cahuenga Peak has been saved, somebody please save Hollywood!

Leader of the Free World as Comic Relief: A Jolly Good Twofer

Looks like I picked the wrong week to start jotting down Obamaisms!  On the other hand, I've been wanting a full time job and now it looks like I've found one, so maybe I should quit my bitching.

President Obama is visiting England and yes, hilarity has ensued.  First, he decided to immortalize his visit in writing at Westminster Abbey.  Big mistake.

It's one thing when I can't remember what day it is.  It's another thing entirely when the President of the United States doesn't know what year it is.

Although in his defense, May 2008 was a much happier time for him.  I can understand him wanting to remain in that moment.

And then he really fucked up:

Well that was awkward.

It pretty much goes without saying that if Bush had pulled either of these boneheaded moves he would have been raked over the coals as the most defective idiot ever to hold elected office...and rightly so.   Luckily for Obama, the bulk of the press gave him a lifetime pass some time ago.  57 states?  No problem!  No sense of protocol?  No problem!  Two major screwups in one day?  No problem, the media has his back!

Luckily for the rest of us, there's the internets.

All joking aside, that was a pretty scary face he pulled when he finally had to admit defeat and shut the hell up.  He knew he'd just totally humiliated himself big time and he wasn't happy about it.  Those Brits are lucky there wasn't a flamethrower within reach.  It could have gotten a lot uglier.  God save the Queen, indeed.

Isn't someone in Obama's position supposed to have people who are responsible for prepping him for events like this?  The average American can't really be expected to have a handle on British royal protocol, but the President isn't the average American.  Did he refuse to be bothered to learn this stuff or is his staff just that inept?  Either way, heads are gonna roll!  In fact, in my fictionalized version of this comedy of errors, post-humiliation he walks into a room of staffers and screams, "Off with their heads!" 

 

Does it count as political intrigue when everyone knows about it?

Look, I'm sure every campaign these days has this kind of thing going on: Obama re-election campaign digging up dirt on potential opponent.

Despite New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's repeated pronouncements that he will not seek the GOP presidential nomination, Obama operatives are compiling a dossier of what they call "opposition research" -- material that could be used to damage Christie if he changes his mind, The Post has learned.

"Compiling a dossier" = "Digging up dirt" in political parlance. In other word, President Hopey Change is willing to play dirty to stay on top, if that's what it takes. I'm sure the MSM will be all over these shenanigans (snerk!)!

The Obama campaign is trying to keep its efforts from public view, concerned they would only elevate Christie's already impressive standing within the Republican Party, sources said. 

They've got that much right.  Playing dirty does have a tendency to make the other guy look good simply in comparison.  Seriously, these people make CREEP look squeaky clean.  Also, it's not keeping it from public view when the New York Post is writing about it and Fox News is discussing it on air.  Just an FYI, political geniuses.

Top Dems applauded Team Obama's preparation. 

"It would be irresponsible for them to not start looking at it," said a consultant who played a key role in Obama's 2008 campaign. "It would be malpractice for them not to."

"Preparation" = "Setting up a smear campaign".  To me, this is what you do when you can't beat them with your qualifications, experience and track record.  When you can't or won't take the high road, the only remaining option is the low road.  This kind of garbage may be politics as usual and SOP for these sleazebags, but the American in me still has the decency to be appalled by this kind of behavior.  And it certainly isn't going to get my vote.

The writer in me, on the other hand, is furiously scribbling notes:

Update: This guy is going to be very busy between now and November 2012.

The post is a new one for this White House. Rapid response has usually been outsourced to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), if not done on an ad-hoc basis by administration officials. And it signals that the White House will be adopting a more aggressive defense of the president and his policies as his re-election campaign gears up.

I'm guessing one of the qualification for this position was "must be willing to play dirty.  Chicago political background desirable but not required."  And apparently the new Internets Czar is relishing his aggressive new role - in his first official, on the job tweet he introduced himself by tweeting this image:

Michelle Malkin?  Terminated!  Ulsterman?  Terminated! Norma Jean Young?  Terminated!  Everyone in this convo?  Retroactively terminated to 2008!  Oh, and Hillbuzz, who had the nerve to point out this inconvenient truth about Jesse Lee's cool new job:

This position isn’t funded by the Democrat National Committee or Teh Won’s re-election campaign. It’s an official White House position, a government job, funded by the taxpayers of America, to stifle your First Amendment rights.

YOU ARE SO TERMINATED!!!

I guess I've answered my own question (posed in the post title).   Intrigue is all around us.  And it's very intriguing.

I can't take notes fast enough.

Dogs of Keauhou

My Mom and I spotted these adorable little guys as we left the KTA in Keauhou:

Pictures don't do them justice.  They were even more ridiculously cute in person.

A warrior and a sitcom character

That's what came to mind when I saw this photo comparison that Weasel Zippers used in their post about the Netanyahu/Obama "1967 lines" dust-up:

One of these things is not like the other...

My favorite comment:

This could absolutely go in the political thriller script.  Even dramas need an occasional moment of humor to give the audience a moment to catch their breath (and mislead them into thinking all is well *evil laugh*).  It's comical, but also sobering: It's not a world of men anymore. 

Either that or he would make an awesome goofy sidekick.  I mean, just look at him.

Photo snicked from the linked article.

Historic Hermosa Beach gets some love

I love anything to do with historic Southern California, especially L.A. and Hollywood.  This also applies to the beach cities.  I could live in the world in this mural:

Well done, Hermosa Beach!

Hello hangover!

After a week and countless fails ignored pleas for any sort of assistance or information, Blogger has restored image uploading.  Catchup posts now commencing.

Someday I will get back to L.A. and when I do one of the things I will miss most about Hawaii is shopping at the KTA in Keauhou.  Awesome store for so many reasons, one of which is that they are not only the people who brought us Spam-flavored macadamia nuts, but also Hello Kitty wine!

Apparently there's an Angelic Hello Kitty wine and a Lil' Devil Hello Kitty wine.

Best part: It was "marked down" to thirty bucks.  Seriously.  Marked down!

Such a bargain!

I took a pass on it.  Sorry, wine-connoiseur Bro!

How does this not have political intrigue written all over it? Someone get on this!

As I've probably mentioned before the political thriller is not my genre, although I'm beginning to think maybe it should be given the wealth of material that has been and will no doubt continue to be generated by the current administration.

Seriously, who would have ever guessed that with the sad tenth anniversary of 9/11 only a few months away anyone would have the gall to make this statement to the American people, much less our own President? (bold mine)

"As Americans have been seared by hostage taking, violent rhetoric, and terrorist attacks that have killed thousands of our citizens - a failure to change our approach threatens a deepening spiral of division between the United States and Muslim communities"

You know what causes deepening spirals of divisions?  Well for starters, there's hostage taking, violent rhetoric and terrorist attacks.  Maybe we aren't the ones guilty of "a failure to change our approach", Mr. President. 

For possibly the millionth time since November 2008 I find myself reading an Obama quote and wondering exactly whose side he's on.  If this guy was a legitimate plant by the enemies of the state he would have a better cover.  I find myself wondering how he sees the world around him.  That alone would be a ton of work in terms of character development (and by "character development" I mean the creating a fictional character kind, not the real life "personal integrity" kind).

Honestly, political thriller novelists, you're slacking, really you are.  Nevermind, I'll do it. *dashes off to jot down notes*

Still in Hawaii

I've now gone from being in Hawaii for an undetermined length of time due to an illness in the family to staying in Hawaii for an undetermined length of time due to a death in the family.  So far things are going a lot smoother than I would have anticipated, but then again I had no idea this would happen so fast and really had no idea what to anticipate.

I also have no idea when I will set foot in L.A. again but I have a feeling it won't be for a while.  However, if you have to be stuck somewhere under unpleasant circumstances, Hawaii is hardly the most awful place to be.  So in honor of my temporary home away from home here is the awesome Hawaii Five-0 theme performed by the equally awesome Brian Setzer Orchestra. (Note: may take a couple minutes to load)