The Trifecta

Once again, a determined group of Kalamazoo County Commissioners has decided that democracy should be denied, due to the fact that they apparently know better.  A second attempt to pass a proposal that would have placed a millage request to fund programs to alleviate the homeless situation in Kalamazoo County has been defeated by said county board.  So...the next step is going back to those cash-strapped municipalities to ask for the money to continue the program as it has been in the past...even though they may not have it.  Proponents had even reduced the amount being requested from .33 to .1...which would result in an average cost per household of about $6.50 per year.  I could go door to door and ask for that much and probably do all right.  Yet, for some reason, those who voted no decided that the good people of Kalamazoo County apparently are not smart enough to make up their own minds.  My opinion is...democracy has taken a step back in this county...and I hope that those who did vote no will have to explain why they determined that they chose to ursurp the people's will.

This was the last scene from the Simpson's 500 episode from Sunday.  I laughe d out loud when I saw it. 

Can't be in New Orleans, at least you can watch what is going on. 

I used to believe that most elected officials held the law in a higher regard, that they would be the ones who, when a question of law appeared, they would demonstrate the knowledge and bearing that indicated they knew better.  Silly me.  Once again, an elected official...this time, the governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie...provides the populace an example of how not to act.  Governor Christie decided that the late Whitney Houston was such a force in the world that she deserved the honor of the US flag being flown at half-mast in her memory.  Give me a break.  If the good governor had looked into the guidelines set down in the US Flag Code...section 7M, to be exact...he would have discovered that there are only two legal reasons for a governor to order the flag to half-mast.  Neither one involves a troubled pop star.  What's more, this isn't the first time he's done it.  When Clarence Clemons passed away, Christie ordered flags at half-mast for the Big Man.  Is there anyone on this guy's staff that could have explained to him that it's not only wrong to do it- IT'S ILLEGAL.  Oh...I'm sorry...excuse me for expecting a high-ranking election official to know the law. 

Mars Inc. the company that makes Snickers and Twix have made the decision to stop selling products with over 250 calories by the end of next year.

According to Reuters 

The new calorie limit target means fans of the 540-calorie king-size Snickers bar might want to enjoy the big bar while they can. Come 2014, it's going to be gone, part of what Mars says is a broader push for responsible snacking.

In 2007, the privately held company said it would stop buying advertising time or space if more than a quarter of the audience was likely to be under 12 years old.

No more King sized Snickers, what the hell, worse yet no more of these great Snicker King sized commercials from overseas. 

What that part might not be so bad

I recently posted a thought on FB that dealt with the possibility that Republican voters would rather vote for anyone other than the President in the upcoming election.  I realize this is not a foreign thought to those on the right...after all, provocateur Mark Levin refers to the President as a "Marxist" on a semi-regular basis...but I REALLY hope that conservatives think this through when choosing their candidate.  If President Obama is that bad...and I can ask any number of my right-leaning friends the answer to that one...then no matter who might get elected with the "R" behind his name will have a free path to do whatever the hell he wants.  After all, anything that's bad after the election will be Obama's fault, right? You can bet the Republicans will trumpet this fact to the heavens.  It's not true, of course, as both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the mess we are in.  Still, it would behoove voters on the right side of the aisle to make sure to do their homework.  Is the person you're coloring in that oval for really going to make you better off during his term?  Will he not be an empty suit just waiting to point the finger of blame at the other side, stating they are responsible for your woes and tribulations?  Make sure that the Republican candidate knows how important this election is for our country...and that voters know how important it is that the GOP candidate is chosen through a careful process.  We as a nation cannot afford anything less.

Love this speech from Dave Grohl from last night. Reminds me I need to pickup that guitar that I haven't given much love to in the past month.  Here is the video in case you missed it. 

OK at the risk of being called a geek, which I am, I post this, Harry Potter in 60 seconds.  

Roland Martin is a political commentator on CNN, he was suspended from that network this week for some of his tweets on Superbowl Sunday. Here are a couple of them:

If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl

Ladies, if your man don’t like sports, send his azz back to the factory. He came to you defective! #rolandsrules

I’m sorry. I’m not down with seeing dudes walking around with bags on their shoulders that resemble women’s handbags. #helltothenaw

Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) argued these were homophobic, CNN said "Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive.". What do you think? 

So it was David Lee Roth's idea... 

Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth's idea to book disco band Kool & The Gang as the rock group's support act on its upcoming North American tour after he saw them perform at the Glastonbury festival last year

According to Billboard.com, Robert Bell of Kool and the Gang said "I was kind of surprised, because Van Halen is more on the rock side and we do what we do. I said, 'That's an interesting combination.' It really caught us by surprise. But the more people I mention it to, the more interesting they're saying it is.

According to contactmusic.com Bell insists the two odd acts will make for a great show.

"We had big hits in the 80s, and so did they. They've been kind of like a party band on the rock side, with their audience, and their audience is 60 per cent female and we have songs like Ladies' Night and Celebration... and our audience is at least 80 per cent a pop audience. Most of the time we have a crowd that's 80 per cent white. Plus we do a lot of international dates with Def Leppard, Meat Loaf, Uriah Heep, Chicago, Elton John... A lot of people don't know that 'cause they don't really see it."

Former Susan G.Komen vice-president Karen Handel has decided to go on the warpath about the effort that Planned Parenthood supporters put forth regarding the Komen decision to remove PP from its grant list, then reversing said decision.  This attitude should come as no surprise, given that Handel's position as a ardent pro-life proponent is well-known.  What is reprehensible is her statement that "all of us should be saddened that an outside organization will put this kind of pressure on another organization around their processes and granting and how they do it and to whom they are going to grant".  Why reprehensible, you ask?  Because conservatives are known to utilize a similar tactic when they object to an advertiser on a TV or radio station.  For instance, the effort to remove Ellen DeGeneres as the spokesperson for JC Penney because she is gay is exactly what Handel is railing against regarding PP.  Handel doesn't like PP's overall mission, so removing the money is a worthy effort.  Ellen is a poor representative for a "traditional family" store like Penney's, so taking her out is a worthy effort.  Just face it Karen- your decision to leave Komen is politically motivated...and while I admire your sticking to your guns...don't try to make us believe this was anything but you stating that you don't like PP...so there.