Ron Paul, truckin' to a different drummer

Ron Paul, the congressman for the Brazosport area, is a Republican in name, but he's really not a Republican in many other ways, mainly because he goes his own way, depending on what's at issue, and isn't unduly swayed by party groupthink.

Latest example: he's one of only two Republicans to sign on as a co-sponsor to House Resolution 2087: To provide for the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the laws of the various States.

(Some states have approved the medical use of marijuana, an issue that some people think should be controlled by the federal government.)

There are only 30 co-sponors of the resolution, authored by Rep. Barney Frank, Dem. of Mass.

The only other Republican co-sponsor is Dana Rohrabacher of California. Looks like Rohrabacher and Paul won't be invited to the White House Christmas party this year.

Way to go, Ron. Keep on truckin' with yer Libertarian bad self!

[govtrack]

We sing the body electric

Last week, a book about hormones topped the sales chart, but this week Houston-area bookworms are taking the macro view, placing "YOU: THE OWNER'S MANUAL," by Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D., at the top of the heap.
[the book standard]

There's a lesson here, kids

A middle school honors student in the Klein district got a 10-day suspension and may have to do 30 days of hood instruction (ie., alternative school) because he "half-mooned" another student who drove by honking his horn at him. Life is tough, bro.

This reminds me of when I was a sophomore in high school. Our football team was playing Galveston Ball High School in a bi-district playoff game at Rice Stadium.

I wasn't on the varsity team yet, but the coaches put the junior varsity, sophomore and freshman players on school buses and we all rode to the game together.

We lost the game, thanks to the amazing passing arm of Galveston QB Kerry Jackson.

After we all piled on the buses to go home, we got stuck in traffic outside the stadium. I was sitting up near the front of the bus, and everyone was relatively quiet cause you weren't supposed to have any fun if you lost, even if you just watched the game from the spectator stands.

All a sudden, there was a boom and the bus lurched forward. Then, another boom, and bus lurched forward again. The coach driving the bus put the vehicle in park to see who the hell was bumping his school bus.

Then, someone was knocking on the door of the bus wanting in. The coach let the person in, and up stepped Mr. Ellis, who was president of the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District Board. It was him bumping the bus with his car! But why? Why would he do that?

"Coach," Mr. Ellis said, stepping up the bus steps. "You've got a couple boys in the back of the bus pulling their britches down in the window."

The lights went up and the coach marched to the back of the bus. The two guilty parties were identified. And then the bus got real quiet.

To make matters worse, it wasn't just Mr. Ellis in the car directly behind our bus. Mrs. Ellis was with him!

Needless to say, this reflected poorly on the football program, which was attempting to instill the virtues of citizenship and honor in its young charges.

But did the two mooning football players get suspended or get sent to hood school or get charged with lewdness for their violation of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis' peace and dignity?

Nah.

But they did get hit with a large wooden paddle on their practically bare butts (wearing only gym shorts) every day for an extended period of time. The paddle was wielded by a large coach, and each whack resonated throughout the fieldhouse, where the football squads gathered each afternoon. Both boys grew up to to be fine young men with broad shoulders who now, probably, are fine middle-aged men who are guilty, so far as I know, of no other unlawful behavior.

So what's the lesson here, boys and girls?

Always know who's looking when you're mooning.
[ktrk]

Attention, middle-aged, angst-ridden males

Is that a Charger you're driving, Mr. Johnson? Prrrrr, prrrrrrr.
--------------------------------------------------
Can't afford a Porsche Carrera for your mid-life crisis? Loser!

Then why not consider a new Dodger Charger?

Chrysler is bringing the venerated muscle car back to your local automobile showroom. The automaker is rolling out the favorite ride of The Dukes of Hazzard with a $60 million ad campaign on June 1.

The main target consumer is 66% male, with a median age of 46, suburban, married with two teens and an average annual household income of some $75,000, says Ad Age.

And a receding hairline, potbelly and a semi-annual case of the hemmies, bubba!
[ad age]

Doggett bites Bonnen

Doggett: Wants Bonnen's bill killed & stuffed on his mantle
==========================
State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, stepped on a jellyfish on his way to give a subdivision on Follett's Island permission to violate the Texas Open Beaches Act. Bonnen may be able to put some Adolph's meat tenderizer on the wound and still walk his bill through the House, but he'll have to step over the weather-beaten body of Chronicle outdoor writer Joe Doggett, who wrote today the bill isn't worth a bucket of 10-day-old night crawlers, figuratively speaking.

Writes Joe:

Protecting property sounds reasonable enough, but beachfront homes are built at risk, and the bill would establish a legal precedent exempting them from the provisions of the Texas Open Beaches Act.

[hc]

Cambodian midgets yank Rich Lord's chain

Cambodian fighting midgets? Yeah! Rich Lord checked it out!!
=======================================
Sportsradio610's Rich Lord was aghast yesterday when he reported the slaughter of dozens of fighting midgets who were pitted against a lion in a steel cage in Cambodia. His partner Marc Vandeermeer wasn't so aghast, wondering if it was true. Yes, yes, I checked it out, Lord insisted. The story, written as a BBC dispatch, was a fake. DAMN THAT CHARLIE PALLILO!
[fake story]

KLBJ (Austin) switching to classic rock

LBJ: Listened to "Stairway to Heaven" nonstop during bombing of Haiphong
-------------------------------
More evidence that no one's making new rock 'n roll worth a flip: the Austin rock station named after LBJ switches from new rock to old rock.
KLBJ-FM was languishing in 16th place in the last ratings book.
[r&r, 3rd item]
[r&r austin arbitron ratings]

Chron's new blogs please H-town blog guru

Kevin Whited at blogHOUSTON is mighty pleased at changes the Houston Chronicle is making to its three blogs, which have been switched to Moveable Type, which gives readers the ability to post comments.

If anyone on the Chron staff should be given a blog, it's reader representative James T. Campbell.

It would enable Campbell to address a broad audience regarding questions that concern the newspaper's readers. As it stands now, it's my understanding Campbell deals with reader concerns one-on-one on the telephone. This method is a sure formula for a future negative mental health event. Moreover, it's not very efficient.

Certainly, Campbell could continue to handle phone calls from individual readers, but a blog might cut those phone calls in half if he had a forum to explain why the newspaper does what it does. This would give Campbell more time to burnish the Chron's image in the community.

Secondly, giving Campbell a blog could be fun and entertaining.

Take the flap a while back when Fox News Channel blowhard Bill O'Reilly called out the Chron and crowed that they were "afraid" to appear on his show. If Campbell had a blog, he could have explained the newspaper's thinking on why it chose not to send someone on the program. If the reason was O'Reilly treats his adversarial guests unfairly and cuts them off repeatedly in mid-sentence, so be it. Or, if the reason is O'Reilly's a nitwit and not worth the newspaper's time, so be that, too.
[blogHOUSTON]

The lil' engine that vented

"Do you smell ethylene, Martha?"
"That's nice, dear."
----------------------------------------
Dow Chemical gave away a train caboose it didn't need several years ago in a public relations masterstroke. But the trains still run out there. Sometimes they're involved in emissions events like this one that resulted in the release of 997 lbs of ethylene.
[dow emissions report]

Banjo's Mini Poll Results

In response to our question, "What would Stephen F. Austin say if he saw Brazoria County today?" 48 percent voted for, "Where's Sam Houston, he owes me money."

Thirty percent voted for, "This isn't what I had in mind, where's the capital city?"

Eleven percent voted for, "The people haven't changed much. Most of them are still all hat, no cattle."

Four percent voted for, "It's still too hot and the air, unfortunately, is too heavy."

None voted for, "Why do the youth keep saying, `Yo' and 'Know what I'm saying?'"

Only 23 people voted in the poll. Probably because it was a stupid question.

Chappelle's says he's OK

Time Magazine interviewed Dave Chappelle, who says he's not in a mental institition or strung out on crack.

Chappelle's sudden abscence from the season debut of his Comedy Central show prompted such speculation.

Time says:

The crux of his crisis seems to boil down to his almost obsessive need to "check my intentions." He uses the phrase a few times during the interview and explains that it means really making sure that he's doing what he's doing for the right reasons.

The piece says Chapelle is religious, but doesn't go into it. He's staying with a friend in South Africa who's a Muslim. We're glad Dave's OK.
[time]

MS-13

Here's a real good reason to get control of our southern border -- the gang known as MS-13.

These ruthless bastards aren't content to kill you. They'll sodomize you, too.

They favor spider web and "laugh now, cry later" clown tattoos. And blue bandanas.

Their handshake is touching thumbs and pinkie fingers.

Salvadorans first formed the gang in Los Angeles. Now they're in Houston, Dallas and just about every other major city in the United States.

MS stands for Mara Salvatrucha.

"Mara" is a Salvadoran word for gang, and "Salvatrucha" means Salvadoran guy. They also adopted the number 13, just as local Mexican American street gangs (in LA) had for years.

The LA Times reports:

Refugees formed the gang in the 1980s near MacArthur Park, just west of downtown Los Angeles, after fleeing a U.S.-backed civil war against insurgents in El Salvador. As the gang grew, immigration officials began a decade-long campaign to deport members, including ex-convicts and hardened leaders who helped spread MS-13 across Central America and solidify its structure.

In the United States, the gang has spread from California into 33 other states and the District of Columbia. Investigators say members are involved in murder, extortion, drug dealing and witness intimidation. The expansion has come from migration as well as from calculated efforts by its Los Angeles leaders to tap new markets of criminal activity. In Seattle, for instance, gang members arrived from Los Angeles in 1997 to distribute marijuana, heroin and crack cocaine, according to investigators.

[lat]

A guest blogger writes:

To succeed in blogging you need to understand it's a craft, with its own tricks of the trade. You need a thick skin. And you must put your life on hold to feed an electronic black hole.

[nyt]

All hail, Stephen F. Austin!

It doesn't look like much now, but someday this will be the base for a very large statue of Stephen F. Austin, the father of Texas, that will be created by sculptor David Adickes, who made the big statue of Sam Houston located beside Interstate 45 south of Huntsville. The Austin statue will be located on the east side of Texas Highway 288 south of the Texas Highway 35 intersection.

Austin brought the first colony of Anglo settlers to what is present-day Brazoria County, back when it was part of Mexico. Brazoria County today has automobiles, paved streets, running water, electricity, six state prison units and several oil refineries and chemical plants, none of which existed when Austin showed up with a dream and a prayer.

What do you think Austin would say today if he saw Brazoria County? See Banjo's Mini Poll in the sidebar to the right and cast your vote.--------->

Stephen F. Austin
====================================
Results of our last poll, which asked, "Should the Houston Chronicle take on Bill O'Reilly on the Fox News Channel?"
Yes -- 60%
No -- 12 %
It doesn't matter, O'Reilly's a nut and the Houston Chronicle is wussified -- 28%

Total votes cast: 57

We're #8 in the USA!

"Did someone say free Frosties?"
=======================================
Brazoria County ranked eighth in the nation for toxic releases in 2003, the federal government said Friday.

While Harris County beat Brazoria County by finishing sixth in the nationwide ranking of toxic releases, longtime Brazosport residents said they remain proud that lesser-populated Brazoria County achieved a national ranking.

"Next year, we may crack the top 5," said Pappy Jackson, who spends his days whittling, drinking beer and walking aimlessly up and down the heavily industrialized Highway 332 corridor.

Brazoria County residents who wish to celebrate the county's toxic release ranking are invited this weekend to enjoy a free Junior Frosty at participating Wendy's restaurants.
[epa]
[hc]

Naval Station Ingleside on close list

Naval Station Ingleside was once a hotly pursued government project, with Galveston, Corpus Christi and other Gulf Coast cities hot to trot to bring the project to their towns. That was only about 20 years ago. Now, Rummy wants it closed to save dough. Military jobs lost: 1,901; civilian 260.
We trust the threat of Mexican naval assault from the south is now over.
[entire closing list pdf]

Fake weiners on congressional agenda

The Whizzinator, a prosthetic penis designed to circumvent drug screens, may be whipped out before a congressional committee.
[wonkette]

O'Reilly calls out Chronicle; Chron won't come out to play

Bill O'Reilly is a buffoon, as he and his staff proved the other night when it entirely misquoted a Houston Chronicle editorial regarding how Florida is dealing with child killers.

The Houston Chronicle, on the other hand, is wussified, as it proved tonight when it declined to send someone on O'Reilly's Fox News Channel program.

"The Chronicle is afraid," O'Reilly crowed.

Then he introduced Dan Patrick, the Houston-based radio talk show buffoon, who happily lambasted the Houston Chronicle as a liberally biased newspaper that has been hijacked by out-of-state liberals who have been brought in to run the business.

Patrick claimed credit for reducing the Chron's circulation by 10,000 when he called for a boycott the last time the paper ran afoul of his standards.

"They're a dinosaur like other liberal rags in the country. They'll be out of business in a decade," Patrick declared.

That prediction, of course, is ridiculously wrong, but what do you expect from Dan Patrick?

More baffling is the timidity of the Chron. Take O'Reilly on, you weenies. Yeah, sure, he would have cut you off in mid-sentence, repeatedly no doubt, but by not showing up you not only give him the last word, but the only word, and to top it off, you give Dan Patrick world-wide face-time while you hide inside chewing on the corner of the your blankie, afraid of O'Reilly, the Big Bad Wolf.

Message to James Howard Gibbons, Jeff Cohen and the rest of the merry Chronicle crew: grow some 'nads.

Banjo's Mini Poll

Should the Chron sack up and go on O'Reilly's show? VOTE NOW in the mini poll located in the sidebar to the right!
Results of our presidential poll: McCain 33%, Rice 22%, Gingrich 15%, H. Clinton 13%, Schwarzenegger 6%, DeLay 6%, Frist 2%, Gore 2%, Allen 2%, Bayh 0. Total votes cast: 54
[billoreilly.com]
[blogHOUSTON]
[Lone Star Times]

San Antonio Saints?

The attorney for New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson said the Crescent City's NFL team could move to San Antonio ... or Albuquerque ... or Los Angeles.

Putting an NFL team in Albuquerque is laughable. Way too small, not enough corporate money, too small a media market.

San Antonio? Also a small media market and a relatively poor city, as cities go. And Jerry Jones and Bob McNair would not be pleased, as they would like to have Texas to themselves. But Benson's lawyer says he LOVES S.A., has a home and a ranch and business interests there.

LA? Much more likely, though moving an existing team to LA would cut out the payment of a hefty franchise fee for the existing owners to divvy up. McNair paid a $700 million new franchise fee to birth the Texans.
[si.com]

How're your hormones doin'?

Houston-area bookbuyers have had enough with the synonyms, now they want to be happy and healthy, hormonally speaking.

Consequently, last week's #1 selling book, The New College Roget's Thesaurus, has been replaced with HORMONES, HEALTH, AND HAPPINESS by Steven F. Hotze, M.D. with Kelly Griffin.

[The Book Standard]

Emissions events anyone?

To call the recent events at Equistar Chemicals a Chinese fire drill would be an insult to the Chinese, so we won't do that. Suffice it to say, they're trying to figure out why the Halon fire extinquisher system prematurely discharged yesterday.

Meanwhile, in the town that time forgot, the Chevron Phillips refinery in Sweeny released 8,893 lbs of ethylene.
[Equistar emissions report]
[ChevronPhillips emissions report]

Justice: McLane should be seen, not heard

Richard Justice: Clemens should horsewhip him.
-----------------------------------------
Using his new blog format, Houston Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice suggests the Astros follow the example set by the Minnesota Twins in 1982: let the youngster play, see who belongs in the Majors, and hope in 5 years there will be a World Series payoff.

Justice also suggests the Astros convene a meeting and that owner Drayton McLane attend and keep his mouth shut. OUCH!

Of course, Astros fans will remember that when future Hall of Fame pitcher Roger Clemens announced this winter that he would return for one more season, the first thing he did was cite one of Justice's columns, saying it got him all fired up to win one for the home team.

Clemens oughta horsewhip Justice for getting him into this mess of a season with his fancy sportswritin' words. That would be Sports Justice.

But what happens? Now Justice tells everyone it'll be 5 years before the team has a snowball's chance in Hades of competing for a title.

Being the veteran that he is, Clemens shoulda learned along ago that you never trust a sportwriter.
[SportsJustice]

Chapelle in pscyh hospital

Entertainment Weekly says Dave Chapelle has been in a South African mental health unit since April. If true, we're sure he's entertaining his fellow patients during his stay.
[ew]

Trojan shootin' for prime time ads

Paula Abdul: No product tie-in with Corey Clark.
------------------------------------------------
After incessant televised warnings of Cyalis-induced 4-hour erections, condom commercials during prime time sound relatively tame, but it's newsworthy in the TV huckster world. But don't look for Tojan ads during American Idol, says Fox, which is a shame because Paula Abdul & Corey Clark could triple sales with a 30-second spot.

[Ad Age]

Choco Bayou emergency shutdown

The Amazing Kreskin: is he on the industrial payroll?
------------------------------------------
Brazosport area industry is getting better and better at reporting "upsets" and is now reporting them before they occur.

Has The Amazing Kreskin been hired?

At Chocolate Bayou, for instance, plant authorities reported a computer glitch caused an emergency shutdown at 2:22 p.m. today (May 11). Right now, it's 9:45 a.m. (May 11).

This is a positive development. Gives everyone time to get upwind or grab the gas masks.

Contaminants released: 10 lbs hydrogen cyanide, 100 lbs acrylonitrile.

[emissions event report 58046]

Google has new twist

It's Google Content Blocker! (and a spoof)
[j-walk.com/other/googlecb]

Local 2 Exclusive: WHORES IN HOUSTON!

Hey, sailor!
-------------------------------------------------
Prostitutes are working the streets in the Gulfton area, and for $10 to $30 they'll do God knows what, reports Local 2 News On Your Side, but, get this, many of them are cross-dressing men! and not only that, but Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary is nearby and families with children live in the area, and that's not all: some of the hookers buy cigarettes at the same convenience store where parents take their kids to get Slurpees; Hey, and there's more: "They work in huge numbers and they even help each other drum up business." Tomorrow on Local 2 News: Traffic! There's too much of it!!! What's up with that?????

Frank Billingsley: dined at Cafe Express but NOT with Radar.
-------------------------------------------------
THIS JUST IN/BREAKING NEWS: Ch. 2 weatherguy Frank Billingsley ate dinner last night at the Cafe Express on Kirby at 7:30ish but Radar, his dieting dog, was not with him, but another guy clad in a t-shirt, running shorts and fancy red & white athletic shoes was!

Art is not always idealized

At an art auction in New York, two vacuum cleaners encased in Plexiglas with fluorescent lighting tubes were sold for $1 million.

Entitled "New Hoover Quick-Broom & New Hoover Celebrity IV," the 1980 creation elevated the ordinary household object to art, it said in the paper.

I sold my mom's old Electrolux after we closed up the house, but I'm pretty sure right now there's a dirty and dusty nonworking Dirt Devil sitting out in my garage, so that's where I'll be the rest of the day, looking for that and some of those other ordinary household objects that I can sell for some of that groovy artiste collector cash.

[NYT]

Wendy's giving away FREE FROSTIES!

Mmmm, Frosteeees.
-------------------------------------
This weekend. Friday through Sunday. To show its appreciation because you kept buying Wendy's grub even after a bad lady falsely claimed she found someone's missing finger in her Wendy's purchase. Some 14 million junior-size Frostys will be dispensed. May the spirit of Dave Thomas be with you.
[wendy's]

Headline of the Day

"NBA Ends Van Gundy Probe" -- The Houston Chronicle

Yeah, I'd say he's had enough, but if they ever do a remake of Deliverance, Hollywood knows who to call for the Ned Beatty role.

[Houston Chronicle]

Huffington Post: "Horrific"..."whoa Nelly"

"She has now made an online ass of herself," Nikkie Finke of LA Weekly says of celebrity journalist-turned-blogger Arrianna Huffington.

"I give it basically two months before the "Celebrities" either get bored, or say something that will end them up losing market share with the studios, and when the big names that drew everyone in are gone, it will be a poorly copied Drudgereport with a dash of Salon thrown in for good measure," writes Laurence Simon of Houston-based IFOC fame.


[LA Weekly]
[Huffington Is Full Of Crap]
[Huffington Post]

Banjo's Mini Poll

We invite you to participate in Banjo's Mini Poll, which you can see in the sidebar to the right.

We'll change the question every week or so, depending on events.

If you want to suggest a poll question, drop an email or a comment.

That is all.

Ex-Post reporter picks Derby winner

Besides being a top-notch journalist, Felix Sanchez, formerly of The Houston Post, always had an inordinate amount of luck. The guy'd take a big, wild-ass, John Daly-like swing on the fairway and, boom, put the ball with a foot or two of the cup. On the job, he'd come across as the easy-going, nice guy then, boom, attack like a shark with some story no one else had. And another thing, women always seemed to like him more than he really deserved. Hard to figure.

These days he's out in California, working for like his third or fourth paper in the Golden State since The Post closed, and I don't hear much from him any more, except when he sees fit to tell me how great California is, or how he's still one of the luckiest sumbitches in the land.

Like today. He emails to say he picked the 50-1 longshot in yesterday's Kentucky Derby. Sanchez writes:

I must bow down to the greatness that is former New York Rangers goalie, Ed
Giacomin!!!!! EDDIE!!!

So some friends and I at work Friday night are thinking, it's Kentucky Derby
time and we must place some wagers. So we head down to the Los Alamitos
Horse Racing Course and do some Derby future wagers. I'm wondering, okay,
besides these trifecta bets on the favorites what longshot should I put some
money on??? Hmmm. I look down the list and lo and behold I see......GIACOMO.
Reminds me of that great goaltender from the Rangers, I telll a coworker,
guy named Ed Giacomin.

So I go to the trusty window and lay out my bets and say, $5 to win for
Giacomo.

Well, the rest is history, baby. $104 payout on a $2 bet. You do the math.
Let's just say I'm a Giacomin/Giacomo fan for life.

Went to the track last night to collect and laid down $40 of my winnings on
some races and hit a couple but, alas, my luck was all used up - I lost
three trifecta wagers on photo finishes for third place. DAMN!

Also, I almost, ALMOST - and you heard a lot of this last night among the
"Yeah, I was gonna bet Giacomo" crowd - but this is true, I almost laid down
a $2 exacta box on Giacomo and Closing Argument. A good friend covers courts
here and someone said, hey, you should bet Closing Argument for Wendy. Damn!

Well, no, that's just Sunday morning quarterbacking, revisionist history. I
am satisfied! And I am eternally grateful to one Ed Giacomin, New York
Ranger extraordinaire.

See ya!

See what I mean?

Pearland's Scarborough making hay in judicial fight

Rick Scarborough: from Pearland pulpit to national bully pulpit

--------------------------------------------------------
When he was running First Baptist Church in Pearland, Rick Scarborough was a player in local city and school politics, but these days he's become a major figure on the national stage, an evangelical/political wunderkind whose name is spoken in the same breath as Jerry Falwell.

Scarborough website, stopactivistjudges.org, received 850,000 hits last month and the country's national newspapers are eager to learn more about the guy.

Scarborough is best friends with Tom DeLay and talks frequently to conservative Catholic U.S. Sens. Brownback of Kansas and Santorum of Pennsylvania.

After garnering a reputation in Pearland for helping formulate candidate slates for City Council and the school board, Scarborough today is rallying pastors around the country to persuade Congress to change its long-standing rules to remove the filibuster as a parliamentariy tactic for opponents of President Bush's more suspect judicial nominees.

The Washington Post reports:

He settled in Pearland in 1990 and became pastor of First Baptist Church.

His first foray into politics came two years later, when he attended a local high school assembly on AIDS awareness, and was appalled at the frank talk about condoms and "various sex acts." He read the transcript from the pulpit one Sunday morning and took his complaints -- and at least 400 parishioners -- to the school board. Eventually, the high-school principal was replaced by a supporter of abstinence-based sex education.

The experience taught Scarborough the power of the pulpit in stirring action, and he became a prominent force on the local political scene. Within a few years, members of his church had been elected to the Pearland city council and school board, and were hired for top local government jobs, including city manager and police chief.

But Scarborough encountered some bumps in the road. Several of his church members who won local school board and city council seats proved inept or uninspiring as public officials. In 1996, Scarborough tried to win control of the Texas Baptist General Convention to "take the state for Jesus," but lost to a moderate candidate by a 2-to-1 margin. In 2002, he resigned as pastor and founded Vision America to mobilize fellow church leaders "to promote active citizenship."

Tom Kirkendall at Houston's Clear Thinkers notices the Post's profile of Scarborough and notes that college law school deans are fairly aghast at the recent right-wing attacks on the judiciary.
[Houston Clear Thinkers]

Ballad of a harmless song

The Kingsmen: their tune banned in Indiana
------------------------------------------
I was probably in junior high when I heard from somebody that the song "Louie, Louie" contained "nasty" words.

Naturally, I wanted to hear them.

I listened to Top 40 KILT-AM for my music enjoyment in those days (anyone remember the dj Werid Beard?), so it must have been through that station that I tried to access Louie Louie's lascivious lyrics. I played the volume loud, medium and low, but could not make out anything that approached nastiness. Damn!

The words that had young adolescents buzzing simply could not be unlocked through my transistor radio. The Kingsmen, clever lads that they were, obviously were singing the words in such a way that only a select group of listeners knew what was being said. But, even if young listeners such as myself couldn't decipher exactly what words they were singing, there was little doubt the Kingsmen were having a hell of a good time doing it.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the United States government was investigating. They had received outraged letters from parents, who wanted the song stopped on the grounds of public decency. The FBI interviewed a couple members of the Kingsmen to get to the bottom of the obscenity. The Kingsmen said they recorded the song in Seattle and that no one complained about it on the West Coast. The song was then re-released by the Wand label on the East Coast and that no words in the song had been changed.

Still, the governor of Indiana banned the song from the Hoosier State.

The Kingsmen told the G-men they tried to counter the obscenity charges, but that seemed to only fuel the controversy. The Wand label offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who could substantiate the alleged sexually suggestive song lyrics.

Some people were hearing this on the record while others heard these words. Other listeners, however, said these lyrics were coming out of their radio.

The FBI Laboratory put the record on its turntable and could not corroborate.

Some 40 years later, the "Louie, Louie" mystery continues when all along the words to the song really are quite harmless.
It all goes to show, I guess, that fear sometimes can be ridiculous.
[TSG]
[History of Rock/kingsmen]

The Kentucky Derby

In honor of the Kentucky Derby, this true story of one man's bet on a horse race is posted. What he did and how it all turned out may surprise you.

[newsblues.com (pdf)]

Twin Peaks : dateline -- Sweeny, TX

David Lynch: never been to the Sweeny oil refinery
-----------------------------------------------

Had he not chosen the Pacific Northwest as the venue for Twin Peaks, the quirky and slightly spooky TV series of the early '90s, David Lynch could have chosen Sweeny, west o' the Brazos River, in Brazoria County.

Instead of the forest, the Conoco Phillips crude oil refinery could have served as the series backdrop. The refinery's stacks would always in the background, belching and snorting.

Oddball characters in town could have included the admitted former kleptomaniac who's running for the Sweeny hospital district board tomorrow. Instead of people in knit caps and flannel shirts, the characters would wear cowboy hats and hard hats and fire-resistant overalls.

The main road into town cuts right between the refinery and a chemical plant. The highway is so close to the combustible behemoths that the government wants to shut it down due to terrorists' bad intentions. The highway shutdown would further cut Sweeny's tenuous connection to civilization (ie., a mall) over in Lake Jackson, and to professional sporting events and the illicit ways of the big city in far away Houston, a veritable City of Oz compared to lil' ol' Sweeny.

And then, every once in a while, the oil refinery would have an emissions event. And the emissions events would occur more frequently as the series continued. People would routinely don breathing masks while they ordered their cup o' Joe and cherry pie at the local diner. The emissions events would be greeted routinely while the newcomer federal law enforcement agent, who was there to investigate a mysterious unsolved murder (as well as a spate of other recurring weird events), would take it all in with an appalled look on his face, before retiring to his motel room to talk into his tape recorder.
[emission report 57852]
[emissions report 57853]
[emissions report 57854]
[emissions report 57855]
[emissions report 57856]

Houstonians fixin' to talk and write more smarter

Peter Mark Roget, 1779-1869: used a lot of big words
---------------------------------------
Houston area residents are concerned that their extemporaneous descantings and unpremeditated expatiations lack intelligibility and veracious vivacity while simultaneously avoiding rodomontade or thrasonical bombast.

No longer do they wish to avoid polysyllabic profundity, pompous prolixity, psittaceous vacuity, ventriloquial verbosity and vaniloquent vapidity.

That may fly in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antone, but not in a world class city like Houston.

Hence, the Number One selling book in the Houston area this week is THE NEW AMERICAN ROGET'S COLLEGE THESAURUS.
That can't be said for any other market in Texas, including the Waco-Crawford metroplex, or the entire South.
[The Book Standard]

Arrianna blog to launch Monday

Harry Shearer: will write "Eat the Press"
-----------------------------------------
Some of the contributors to Arrianna Huffington's group blog aren't computer savvy, so Arthur Schlesinger, for instance, might fax his in, says the self-confessed cyberslut.

Some may even dictate over the phone. Whooo, talk about Front Page retro: "Gimme rewrite, sweetheart."

The Huffington Post will be part news aggreggator a la Drudge and part group blog.

The news stuff will be on the right side of the page and the blog stuff on the left.

Huffington insists none of the celebs will have their publicists ghost-write their innermost thoughts.

For my money, one of her contributors bears watching. Harry Shearer, the comedian/actor, will write a journalist-watchdog feature called "Eat the Press." Perhaps he'll even toss in anecdotes about some of his movies: "That reminds me of the time I was creating the character of Derek Smalls for a movie you might have seen -- Spinal Tap."
Running the news aggregator side of things will be Andrew Breitbart, who did the same thing for Drudge at one point and later wrote a book, Hollywood, Interrupted, "a moralizing book on celebs and limo liberals that calls out various group bloggers from Huffington Post, including Rob Reiner and Norman Lear," reports Online Journalism Review.

(P.S.: For the time being, reader comments will not be featured on Huffington's blog. Yeah, I know some of you believe that automatically makes a blog not a blog, but that's the way it is.)
[ojr]

The five-finger discount candidate

Darrell M. Young hopes to be elected to the Sweeny Hospital District board on Saturday based on his campaign platform of fiscal responsibility and accountability.

As far as those arrests in his past are concerned, it was merely a problem with kleptomania, the 67-year-old candidate told Michael Smith of the local newspaper.

“I needed a lot of help and I got a lot of help,” Young said. “I think the biggest thing is that if you’ve got a problem and pray to the Lord, that’s the best medicine you can get.”

Young's last arrest involved swiping two cartons of cigarettes and two jars of instant tea.

Caffeine & cigarettes & kleptomania! No place but the Sweeny Hospital District.
[The Facts]

I-35 is closed, man! ... Lotta freaks ... Don't take the brown acid ...

In September, if the End Times haven't come and most of us are still breathing, some pretty big names will be entertaining at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

That will be in Austin, the state capital:

Coldplay, Oasis, Jimmy Cliff, John Prine, Steve Earle ...

Best names of lesser-known bands is a tie, in my mind: Slightly Stoopid and Hairy Apes BMX.
[aclfestival.com]

Outlaw Dave joins KIOL's new posse

Radio & Records has the scoop on KIOL's new galaxy of stars:

KIOL/Houston unveils its new lineup: Former KLOL morning team Walton & Johnson join for mornings, Wendy Miller crosses from KTBZ for middays and former KLOL alum Outlaw Dave comes on board for afternoons. All of this sets the stage for KIOL's move to clusterbuddy KUST's 103.7 signal, which is currently stunting.

[r&r street talk]

Basset hound tip #1

When a basset hound starts shaking his head, it's always best to step a few feet away to avoid stray amounts of basset hound saliva that sometimes is tossed about.

Cream: the reunion, the break-up

Tom Kirkendall, the Houston attorney, apparently is a rock aficianado as he alludes today to the recent reunion of Cream, the British "supergroup" from the late '60s.

Tom's post reminds of an email I received a month ago from my musician/artist friend Jim, who's been urging me to check out a magazine called Uncut. If I'm remembering correctly, the mag is from the UK. In his last missive Jim was raving about an article the magazine did about The Band, whose music was so inspirational to Eric Clapton that he decided to chuck Cream and try to join up with The Band. Imagine that.

Here's Jim's email.

by the way, i've spoken of the magazine uncut before - well, last month
> > their cover-story was on THE BAND!!! it is so awesome to read about the
> > history of those guys. their first album was a ground-breaking thing,
> but
> > their second album is considered to be a pivotal moment in music. so
> > influential!! did you know that hearing the band forced eric clapton to
> > dissolve Cream? and that he actually flew to woodstock, NY and "applied=
"
> > for inclusion in the Band? i knew that once he heard the rootsy quality
> of
> > the band's songs, he wanted to overturn the marshall stacks and get bac=
k
> > to basics but i didn't know he was so deeply affected!!

[Houston's Clear Thinkers]

Power failures & other SNAFUs

"We'd just as soon get our emissions reports the way we've been gittin' 'em all along, Mister Bonnen. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Yep. "
---------------------------------------------
We've read the newspaper stories and online explanations provided by the state government about what state Rep. Dennis Bonnen is trying to do to change the way emissions events are reported and recorded, but we're still at a loss to make sense of it.

The story in The Facts was particularly obfuscating. It was such a waste of precious newsprint, they might as well have published a wire story about the soybean crop in Nebraska.

One thing we did understand from the state government's online resources is that Bonnen's plan will cost the state enviro agency something on the order of $143,000 to do whatever the hell it is Bonnen wants to do. And so far as we can tell, we don't understand how Joe Citizen will benefit from it.

'Course, the chemical interests are in favor of whatever the hell it is Bonnen wants to do, so we're like, OK, we're against it.

With that out of the way, there were three emissions events the past couple days.

At the refinery in Sweeny (or Old Ocean if you prefer), there was a power failure on Monday at the Delayed Coker Unit.

This caused the shutdown of all electrically driven pumps and motors, including the Wet Gas Compressor. Suction to the Wet Gas Compressor was automatically diverted to the Coker Flare (EPN 29-61-1) through pressure control valve 292PC5602. The control valve was open to the flare system for a total of 180 minutes from 9:10 AM until 12:44 PM. The valve position ranged from 1% open to 100% open, with the average position of the valve being 30% during the flaring event.
The process unit was shutdown under emergency conditions as efforts were made to restore power to the equipment. At this time the unit is expected to be restarted in approximately 3 days.

Got all that?
Click on the report below for all the emissions.

The next day, Dow Chemical and BASF reported emissions events.
Dow said a process upset caused by an Acetylene Reactor trip resulted in the flaring of Ethylene -- 316 lbs worth.

At BASF, an instrument failure led to the release of 146 lbs of propylene and assorted smaller amounts of other ooglie-googlies.
[sweeny emissions report 57653]
[sweeny emissions report 57654]

[dow emissions report 57727]
[dow emissions report 57725]
[basf emissions report 57707]

In case of disaster, type up a resolution

Dennis Bonnen:"...and then, the damn chainsaw nearly cut off his daddy's foot."
------------------------------------
State Rep. Dennis Bonnen is a busy man during the hectic legislative session, but never too busy to pass a resolution calling attention to weird stuff that happens to the rural citizenry of his native Brazoria County.
In House Resolution 1738, he recounts the near foot amputation of a Sweeny man by a chain saw that fell out of a tree. The bleeding man's son, Jeffrey Effenberger, took quick action to save his daddy's foot, which prompted Rep. Bonnen to commemmorate the event in an official Texas House of Representatives resolution:

WHEREAS, While this outstanding young Texan maintains that
his actions were nothing extraordinary, emergency personnel have
noted that he kept his father from bleeding to death and have
praised him for his skill and composure; and
WHEREAS, Jeffrey is active in a number of service clubs, and
he is a member of the National Honor Society at Sweeny High School
and the Catholic Youth Organization at his church; already accepted
at Texas A&M University, where he plans on studying mechanical
engineering, Jeffrey Effenberger is an outstanding young Texan who
is already making impressive contributions to this state; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Jeffrey Effenberger on earning the
Rural Heroism Award and commend this remarkable young man for his
quick actions and wish him well in all his future endeavors; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Effenberger as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.

I feel certain we'll be hearing more from this young man in the future.
[hr1358]

Mark of 'de Beast ain't what it used to be

Hate to rain on your parade, but Bill Crider advises that 666 really should be 616. Think of all those incorrect tattoos out in the world.

Bill cites a UK publication. He just didn't make this up. He wouldn't do that, though he does make up stuff in the books he writes.

Now, for all you heathens out there, 616 (or 666 if you insist) is the mark that everyone will have to show in order to buy food, gasoline and other necessities at the End Times. But true believers won't wear or show the mark cause the Good Book tells them not to. A lotta folks think the mark will be on folks' foreheads. But some think it might just be the bar code on your Kroger card that leads to that all-important discount. Discounts today, the whole shootin' match tomorrow, is the thinking.

So, you better do so some hard thinking now that the number's been changed. But there's no pressure, just the possibility of ETERNAL DAMNATION IN THE FIRES OF HELL.
[billcrider'sblog]

Kinky Friedman on House Bill 1721

(Editor's note: Once again, we turn this space over to the Kinky Friedman for Governor campaign. Listen up.)

Hi Folks,

As a campaign, we ask a lot of our fellow Texans. We ask that you register to vote. We ask that you not vote in the primaries. We ask you to hold your vote for Kinky. And, of course, we always ask the god of your choice to bless you.

Today we have a very important request of all you Kinky supporters: we need you to show your support for HB 1721, a bill now in committee that could seriously improve Kinky's chances of getting on the ballot in 2006. If this bill were to pass, not only could we start collecting ballot signatures for Kinky in January, instead of March, but anyone could sign the petition, whether they vote in the primaries, or not.

HB 1721 is currently being held up in committee, by Madame Chair, Mary Denny - likely with help from fellow committee members. We need y'all to write or call either Madame Chair or any of the committee members to let them know how important it is to you that they pass this bill into law.

Show this committee how it works. Call these folks now. Tell them you want them to pass this bill. Show them who runs this state: the people of Texas.

Committee Member Austin Office District Office
Rep. Mary Denny, Committee Chair (512) 463-0688 (972) 724-8477
Rep. Dwayne Bohac, Vice-Chair (512) 463-0727 (713) 460-2800
Rep. Todd Smith (512) 463-0522 (817) 283-3131
Rep. Rafael Anchía (512) 463-0746 (214) 943-6081
Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson (512) 463-0135 (254) 754-3892
Rep. Bryan Hughes (512) 463-0271 (903) 935-1141
Rep. Jesse Jones (512) 463-0664 (214) 375-3773

Contact the committe members and tell them what's what. Tell them it's time to let common Texans have a hand in making Texas great again!

Thank you, fellow Texans,

Cleve Hattersley
Campaign Communications Director

Houston Press writer named Livingston finalist

Michael Serazio: lookin' for 10 large
-------------------------------------------
Michael Serazio, a staff writer for the Houston Press, has been named a finalist in the 2004 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists. The Livingstons, the nation's largest all-media, general reporting prizes, award three $10,000 prizes for Local, National, and International Reporting to journalists under the age of 35. The winners will be announced June 14.
A California native, Serazio earned a master's degree from Columbia
University's Graduate School of Journalism.
[livawards.org]

Houston Chronicle circulation falls 3.9%

Goin' down, down to Chinatown: newspaper circulation sliding inexorably.
-----------------------------------------------

It was a rough day in the daily newspaper trade. Here are the circulation numbers for the country's 20 largest dailies for the six months ended March 31, as reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations; The percentage changes are from the comparable year-ago period:

1. USA Today, 2,281,831, up 0.05 percent
2. The Wall Street Journal, 2,070,498, down 0.8 percent
3. The New York Times, 1,136,433, up 0.24 percent
4. Los Angeles Times, 907,997, down 6.5 percent (a)
5. The Washington Post, 751,871, down 2.7 percent
6. New York Daily News, 735,536, down 1.5 percent
7. New York Post, 678,086, up 0.01 percent
8. Chicago Tribune, 573,744, down 6.6 percent
9. Houston Chronicle, 527,744, down 3.9 percent (a)
10. San Francisco Chronicle, 468,739, down 6.1 percent (a)
11. The Arizona Republic, 452,016, down 3.2 percent (a)
12. The Boston Globe, 434,330, down 3.9 percent
13. The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., 394,767, down 1.6 percent
14. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 391,373, down 2.4 percent
15. Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul, 378,316, up 0.33 percent (a)
16. The Philadelphia Inquirer, 364,974, down 3.0 percent (a)
17. The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, 348,416, down 5.2 percent (a)
18. Detroit Free Press, 347,447, down 2.0 percent
19. St. Petersburg Times (Florida), 337,515, down 3.2 percent (a)
20. The Oregonian, Portland, 335,980, down 1.8 percent

------

Four newspapers were not allowed to include their circulation figures in the report released Monday as a penalty for misstating circulation figures in the past: Newsday of New York's Long Island; the Dallas Morning News; the Chicago Sun-Times and Hoy, a Spanish-language newspaper in New York. The first three papers were among the top 20 in the comparable reporting period a year ago.

(a) Includes Saturday circulation.

[businessweek]

Weapons lab blogged down

The culture needs a new word for when an institution, or an institution leader who's a jackass, becomes the subject of a blog that was created because of some injustice.

Case in point: the Los Alamos weapons laboratory in New Mexico.

The director there (allegedly) is such a jerk that a good many underlings have resorted to a blog to vent their collective spleen, reports the NY Times yesterday. The director may not survive the blog assault. This isn't some obscure retail store or widget factory we're talking about. This is the USA's main freakin' WEAPONS LABORATORY!

Jeff Jarvis, who publishes BuzzMachine, a blog that focuses on media issues, said the Los Alamos site showed "a new ethic of transparency" that has come with the explosion of electronic self-publishing. "It's not just the power of the blog," Mr. Jarvis said, "it's the power of the citizen."

So what would this new word for the culture be?
How 'bout "blogsided"? A variation on blindsided. As in, the director of the Los Alamos weapons lab claims he was "blogsided" by unhappy employees.
Blogwhacked? Like in bushwacked?
Maybe something much simpler, as in, I got blogged by my ungrateful underlings.
[nyt]

More newspaper circulation losses expected; Dallas Morning News expects worst hit of all

Dallas Morning News editors: wanna scream over losses
-------------------------------------------------
Circulation losses of 1 to 3 percent are expected today. Among the biggest losers will be the Dallas Morning News, expected to suffer a 9 percent daily decline and 13 percent on Sundays.

The large decline at the Dallas Morning News is partly due to circulation figures for the March reporting period being compared with year-ago figures compiled before the company announced that circulation had been overstated. The company said at the time that these overstatements would reduce circulation by about 1.5% daily and 5% Sunday. Dallas-based Belo says it expects its March 2005 report to be audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations and released in mid-May.

And many other companies have come under scrutiny for bulking up their circulation with discounted copies that didn't attract high-quality readers.

In the wake of these scandals, advertisers have been demanding accountability from publishers. "I want the quality readers proved to me," says Brenda White, who buys newspaper ads for clients of the media-buying agency Starcom, a unit of Paris-based Publicis Groupe.

No word yet on what Houston Chronicle and Hearst numbers might say.

[wsj]

Imus says "fat ass" again

After a weekend to regain his composure, MSNBC/WFAN talk radio host Don Imus this morning again alluded to the "fat ass" of former newsreader Contessa Brewer. Other than that, he said he was reprimanded by MSNBC head Rick Kaplan last Friday following his tirade against Brewer, whose opinion of Imus was overheard in a Manhattan gathering place and reported in the NY Post. Oh yeah, Imus said he laughed during his supposed ass-chewing session with Kaplan, whom he said he loved. The "fat ass" slur on Brewer was invoked (again) when Imus said the flap re-enforces the lesson to keep quiet when he takes the "high road" -- or else you'll have to pick up the newspaper and read about your "fat ass." Whatever you say, I-Dude. Jesus! We hope this puts the issue to rest because I'd rather sleep in than follow this soap opera, though I will continue to monitor whenever possible because, frankly, it's caused my site meter to go vroom-vroooom.

Nice weather we're having; nice enough to make emissions events unthinkable ... NOT!

Trust me, you get used to these masks after a while.
----------------------------------------------
In Houston, Minute Maid Park's roof hasn't been closed yet this baseball season. The weather's been that nice here on the Petrochemical Coast.

Still, all must remain vigilant. Emissions events rear their heads no matter how gorgeous the weather.

At BP Chemical on Chocolate Bayou, these emissions were reported on 4-28: 17,528.0 lbs of carbon monoxide, 2,087 lbs of nitrogen monoxide, 1,520 lbs 1,3-BUTADIENE, 554 lbs Butene, 13,346 lbs Ethylene (gaseous), 886 lbs Propane and 2,313 lbs Propylene (propene).

Our friends at Dow Chemical in Freeport, meanwhile, report on 4-30: 1347.9 lbs of ethene, 1466.9 lbs carbon monoxide and assorted lesser amounts of all sorts of other stuff that I don't want to type right now. Check the report below if you wanna know.
[bp emissions report 57600]
[bp emissions report 57599]
[dow emissions report 57548]
[dow emissions report 57549]

KLOL-FM bustin' a move

KLOL-FM, the former rock station that switched to espanol last fall, is making a move, finishing 7th in the latest Arbitron ratings released last week. The Clear Channel property was 17th when the Houston-Galveston audience pulse was last taken. Adult contemporary KODA-FM, another CC station, remains #1.
[r&r]

Imus meltdown draws oodles of comments

When people search Google for info on the Don Imus-Contessa Brewer fight, our April 1 and April 13 posts are prominently displayed. Hence, most of the reader comments have been directed to those posts. Here are some of them:

At 11:02 AM, Anonymous said...
I used to really like Imus. But over the years he seems to go out of his way to engage in this behavior with the female news readers: there is the one you point out, before her there was Christy Musumeci, whom Imus and the gang went out their way to belittle, now Contessa. Then the continual whining about being bullied about his ranch and then the outing of Anderson Cooper. All of this in a "boys will be boys" kinda of atmosphere. The schtick is wearing thin for me.

At 5:57 PM, Anonymous said...
He is trying to compete agaisnt Stern. I think it is disgusting what they are doing to Contessa.


At 8:09 AM, Anonymous said...
Contessa Down and Dirty!!
I think the "bosses" at MSNBC are keeping her on a tight leash while trying to preserve their dignity as a "News organization". I think Contesa if left to her own with no censorship from them could mix it up with Imus and the rest of his stooges with no problem. I've seen flashes of it but she always seems to stop short. Hard to serve two masters for her I guess.
Come on MSNBC, loosen the H--L up and let Contessa do her thing!!


At 5:48 AM, Anonymous said...
Poor Don, Contessa would eat him alive and his stooges too...wish he would pick on his good buddy the donald dick trump...ask him sometime I-man why he was fired here in Indiana by the Gaming commission,,,because he's a Loser...GO Contessa


At 8:57 AM, Anonymous said...
Not sure what Imus is doin latelyb around show. It seems to be in transition. Sid was sick. Imus (for the millionth time) tells how sick the Wall Street Journal was to question his intentions on the ranch. ENOUGH DON! Now one of the highlights of the morning, Contessa, gets overly dished by Bernard on understanding complete details of story she is reading. I would love to see her return with an attitude...


At 8:14 AM, Anonymous said...
I really don't think that maniac and his stooges could ever find anyone to stay on the show and put up with their locker room gutter talk except the likes of that equally tough-talking traffic reporter who has no aspirations of ever been mistook for a lady.


At 10:39 PM, Anonymous said...
Is Contessa still on MSNBC, or was she fired. If anything, she should fire back a sexual h. lawsuit, because she didn't ask for the type of ribbing she got. It was pretty bad from the get go, when they started in on Amy, and she figured out she wanted out in a week, and then Contessa got in, and it started again. You know where Don was asking her if she had problems saying the word masteurbation, and she said she practiced last night.....on the word, and the audience erupted in laughter, and she was so embarrassed, and then the traffic hag, got on her about not having any talent, a big nose, and a mustache to boot. It was so mean, that I thought it might be a put on, but you just never know with Imus. I really like the show, and all the guests, and don't consider myself a prude by any means, but when a gentle, kind, classy, and beautiful woman was attacked like that, I have to tell you that I felt very uncomfortable about it, and I just wish Contessa the best. I'll miss seeing her in the morning, and certainly preferred her to the horrific Katie Couric. I haven't watched the today show for years now, and it appears others are following my lead by leaving the Today show in droves. THat started for me when the window to the world was opened, and I had to hear all the wannabees screaming their heads off, and all the Regis and Kathy type stories with weddings of people we don't know or care about, and making a huge deal out of it. Being a guy, I doubt any guy would be interested in that type of fluff, and want good, interesting banter like Don provides, and NEWS. Don has news, book reviews, famous folks, politicians, professionals of all sorts, and ofcourse Don himself. I can definately understand the hate for him by some people, but for me, I really enjoy it. Well, I've gone on too long, and I'll catch ya later, Mrk


At 11:50 PM, Bob Armstrong said...
Contessa was the best thing to happen on the IMUS show. Bernard sucks and should get a job at Wal Mart.

Regis shoud fire Kelly, with all the kids and wantabe actor husband, who the f cares. Hire Contessa Regis.


At 11:19 AM, Anonymous said...
During her short stint on IMUS Contessa Brewer showed that she had the intelligence, wit and class to handle the whole crew with aplomb and even respond with barbed one-upmanship. Seeing this they, even Charles, descended into gutter humor that no one, and especially no woman, should have to put up with. Ms. Brewer apparently had the good sense to leave.

I went so far as to call WFAN and MSNBC and commment that IMUS and "friends" were way over the top in their persecution of Ms. Brewer. I assume others did also.

I was a fan of Don Imus back when his show was topical, humorous and satirical. Now it seems that he has become a shill for NBC, Newsweek and all of the other ilk owned in whole or in part by NBC. Some of his guests are interesting. Some, like Andrea Mitchell, are overexposed, boring and are pitched irrelevant, softball questions. Others, like Donald Trump and the leigon of NBC, NY Times and Newsweek never-was reporters are an obvious, transparent and pathetic attempt to boost NBC viewership. Hey Donny! How about asking 'ole Andrea why her husband is repeating the very steps that tanked the economy back in 2000? Now THERE is a question my boy!

I used to respect Bernie, not much any more after his sexually-charged questions to Contessa and I'm utterly amazed that IMUS' wife., a supposedly liberated and active "do-gooder" hasn't threatened to sleep on the couch until he learns to respect women. Makes one wonder what their home life is like. Does Chuck McCord have a dress-up doll of her too?

Donald, what your show NEEDS is someone like Contessa Brewer to lend it a bit of class and in case you haven't noticed, your fall book ratings sucked! Does this tell you anything?


At 8:01 AM, Anonymous said...
Not surprised to see Contessa gone so soon. She always looked uncomfortable.

This morning, the boys were bagging on her, even called her a b-tch. I didn't catch the whole thing but it was something about what Contessa recently said in public. Anybody know more about this?


At 8:17 AM, Gurdravieff said...
This morning (4-29) it appears Contessa has been fired for calling Imus a "cantakerous old fool" at a bar in the village, which was overheard by someone who reported it in a gossip column somewhere. I missed the details, and have yet to find it on the web. Imus and the rest on them spent a good deal of time this morning personally attacking Brewer. So she has been lambasted and castigated for speaking the truth. Why are we not surprised? Imus, what an ass.


At 8:28 AM, acbalint said...
I hate when Imus is on vacation, there is no where else to go in the morning, fox news makes me puke in the morning. I think Imus'long vacations over the holidays is what made his ratings take a dump by 25%, his viewers and listeners went somewhere else and got hooked. I'm a female and an Imus fan for over 9 years. I don't mind the banter except for Sid. Sid is a dumb, boring crack head. Sid does not make up the ground that Bernie used to provoke and inject outrageousness into the show! Bernie is a bang of a humor! It's sad that Lou no longer joins the banter 'cause he is very witty. Sid is no replacement of Lou neither. Anyway, I'm sick of the drone of ladies for news during the day after 10 years... went to Court TV for daytime viewing. People can read news anywhere, anytime!


At 9:55 AM, Anonymous said...
This morning's Imus show and attacks on Contessa was the last straw. I blocked MSNBC from my TV and wrote a letter to MSNBC.

As a woman who has watched Imus for years - overlooking the vulgarity of Imus and his cohorts because of the interesting parade of guests, this morning I felt shame that I was watching such a spectacle.

To all of the women of the world, I am sorry that I watched that show. I assure you that I will not watch MSNBC again until Imus is gone. Not only has the station been blocked in my home, but it has been blocked in my office as well. My employees are now invited to listen to commercial-free internet radio. I don't care if Imus is off the air by the time my employees come to work. MSNBC should not support this type of hate mongering trash.

A modicum of civility by Imus and his wierd friends is not a lot to ask for.


At 10:07 AM, Anonymous said...
I didn't get the whole story about Contessa Brewer this morning. But--Imus and crew went way over the line in the things they said about her. I thought she was a class act and very easy to look at. She should have never been subjected to the stupid, teenager-ish comments from Bernard and others. If she doesn't sue them I'll be surprised.


At 10:52 AM, Anonymous said...
There are two sides to every story, and Contessa's side will probably never be heard. To be sure, Imus' comeback to Contessa's comments was predictably repetitive and so pathetic, calling her fat, as if that is what got her fired. What surprised me about this is the mean comment Charles made about her reading abilities. It seemed they had a friendly and professional relationship on camera and for him to pile on, taking his cue from Bernie and Imus, made me mad. Talk about women bashers. Do you remember what they did to Janice Dean? Any self-respecting woman who would agree to join this cast must have a death wish.


At 10:54 AM, Anonymous said...
with all due respect, contessa should have been smart enough up front to know what she was getting into...if she wasn't then perhaps the comments about her intelligence are not that far off. Amy sized up the situation pretty quick and left with her dignity and reputation intact. When that happened I suspect that Contessa thought this was a great opportunity to raise her profile given that Imus' show has some of MSNBC's highest ratings. I'm sure she's a nice girl but she made two mistakes: 1 - she went on the program thinking she could handle the crew and 2 - she stayed too long


At 2:11 PM, Anonymous said...
I knew Contessa's stint would be short-lived a few weeks ago when it was apparent she knew very little about the Imus Ranch for Kids. You could see the I-Man bristle.


At 3:24 PM, Anonymous said...
i think don imus treats the women on his show the way he does out of disgust for his control freak wife.
he could not talk to her in this manner, but would like to.

he is a dying old man, old junkie paying the price as he ages, no longer owns his microphone.

i think he should move to florida and finish the dehydration process.


At 4:38 PM, Anonymous said...
I too am an woman who has always watched Imus on MSNBC with mixed feelings, he does have some of the best interviews of politicians and others on the air, but it is obvious that Imus himself and especially that Bernie just hate women, I am sure that Imus probably hates them due to his super agressive wife, Bernie's must be the same. But, that said, I find I can no longer watch MSNBC AT ALL now, just due to this Contessa Brewer thing, especially if they fired HER for her private conversation with friends in a restaurant. WHERE does MSNBC get off firing HER over him and his crew with what they have said over the public airwaves about her? I hope she sues the pants off of MSNBC and Imus himself (and Bernie too) as he is always bragging about how much money he has, he can pay her millions like Bill O'Reilly did to that other woman.
I not only sent a complaint letter to MSNBC but also to the FCC!
Gee, why is it always the woman who gets fired???


At 4:54 PM, Anonymous said...
Might I make a suggestion? Those who wrote a complaint letter to MSNBC about the Imus gang's on air 'rape' of Contessa Brewer, or those who intend to write a complaint letter, also write them to the commercial sponsors of MSNBC and also specifically those who pay for commercial air time broadcast during the Imus show, those who are paying the huge money to buy commercial air time should realize that their products are being associated with this type of woman hating tirades, which MSNBC must agree with.


At 7:08 PM, Anonymous said...
Calling it an "on air rape" od Contessa is obnoxious and stupid--especially for people who have been raped. Contessa, presumably, heard the show and knew what she was getting into.


At 7:43 PM, Anonymous said...
To all you idiots out there that can't see past your pathetic anger,any woman that has been on the Iman's program has gone on to bigger and better things beause of the stage presence they get from Imus's show. Brewer should be kissing his ass for even letting her sit on the same set with him and Charles. Get a life you losers.


At 9:05 PM, Anonymous said...
The last guy who wrote as to where all the previous women went couldn't find them with a fine tooth comb. Where is Christy and where is Janice Dean? Amy Robach wsa smart enough to get off after just a few days. If MSNBC were smart they would drop Imus whose audience is rapidly declining anyway.
His remarks and those of his weak livered compatriots today- most particularly Bernard the Anti-Semite and anti everything particularly women and McCord who couldn't get another job in radio or TV if his life depended on it were totally uncalled for and shameful.

Enough of these stupid boors already- this is the 21st Century and these guys are still in the dark ages.


At 10:03 PM, Anonymous said...
I was shocked by the ugly attack on Mize Brewer. I thought she was an asset to the show. It was charming the way She was always appropriately embarrassed when the crew pried into her private life. The viciousness of the attack makes me think there is something else going on. Maybe Imus or Charles put some O riley style moves on her and got rebuffed.


At 12:00 AM, Anonymous said...
1. Contessa was not fired from MSNBC - just the Imus gig.

2. She wasn't fired for the comments that appeared in the paper - those came several days later.

3. Imus didn't say anything negative about Contessa after she left the program - not until the printed comments from her about the I-man came out. Then Imus went to war. It was shock and awe. It was also over the top entertainment.


At 7:11 AM, Anonymous said...
Janice Dean has changed her hair from the Old Woman look and now is on fox doing weather wit Shep Smith. I would say it was a promootion even if she went to another network. Listen for her Janice Dean the weather machine is what they call her.


At 11:32 AM, Anonymous said...
why don't you give it a rest?


At 9:08 AM, Anonymous said...
I think what was said and done to Contessa was so outrageous that it calls for some sort of law suit. The whole Imus crew has gone so far over the line that it threatens to destroy the program. Contessa was way to classy for that locker rooom bunch. You had to ask yourself what in the world was a classy woman like that doing among those brain dead hooligans. It has gotten so that the only one who looks right on that show is the idiotic Bo Dietl, the constant visitor who makes me appreciate my mute button. If the usual sycopants like McCain and Russert don't wise up they are going to find themselves going down hill with the Imus train wreck that is coming. That ego driven idiot can't last too much longer. He seems to have gotten increasingly out of control. He should retire to his vegetarian ranch.


At 9:09 AM, Anonymous said...
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04292005/gossip/23600.htm
and the follow up...
http://www.nypost.com/gossip/43320.htm


At 12:51 PM, Anonymous said...
I agree that Imus is an ass, a charitable ass, but an ass nevertheless. His adolescent humour is nothing but a coarse display of what those in his entourage really think...it is how they are...howard fineman, andrea mitchell, joe lieberman or Mary Higgins Clark, i believe, would have nothing to do with Imus without the relationship with MSNBC. His entourage is loyal and put up with his incessant nagging, bitching, and egoism, because he signs their check. Imus had the ratings, and the media is all about what can be billed based on your show's popularity. Imus's book is apparently downtrending. It's all about the money, honey. Plus, i think Bernie writes all the hard questions anyway. They oughta give him his own show.

I think it is time for an Imus paradigm shift. His life experience and success are valuable, but he might want to try being more sincere and share that within the framework of a morning show with some good music and interesting quests who might want to be there for a change. He could share some of the wisdom he has garnered through his interesting life, take a view, share a thought. He needn't continue to make actionable "fun" out of those who have less power than him. He acts like a psychopath toward some people. The people watching Imus in the morning aren't doing so because they want to see that shit. They watch MSNBC because its a little less propaganistic than Fox. But neither MSNBC, or Imus have any balls. Imus thinks he wants to follow Howard to satelite, and probably will, but i can't see people paying to listen to imus, i will pay to listen to Howard.

If Imus had a ball left, he'd figure out if those children with cancer are really benefiting from his ranch experience, and if his wife's attempt to green the hospitals of this country has any chance of sustained success, and then "retire" to the vegetarian ranch, write a book, dedicate his life to the kids, drop out of show business, and then go about "gittin' 'er done".


At 2:43 PM, Anonymous said...
Imus is offensive, tasteless, classless, clueless, and drags down the otherwise-acceptable quality of MSNBC. On the MSNBC set he looks more like a senile bingo caller than anything else. His tasteless, clueless tirade about Contessa Brewer was totally out of line. Thank god for freedom of choice; I have switched from MSNBC to more relevant, meaningful and entertaining programming.


At 2:50 PM, Anonymous said...
Imus Ranch. Brother Fred. Idiots at Wall Street Journal. Contessa the stupid slut, fat ass, can't read the news, hideous without makeup. And so on. Imus in the Morning is boring, repetitive and mindlessly predictable; MSNBC should replace it with a better program.


At 4:45 PM, Anonymous said...
I watch Imus every morning on MSNBC. For the same reasons that most people can't resist looking at bad car accidents....After this fiasco, I quit! I can always listen to the stereo in the morning.

The powers that be at MSNBC (idiots...) apparently thought it would be a good idea to add a "news bunny" to Imus' program. When Amy Robach showed up I thought she must have lost a bet or something. She must have put her foot down and refused to participate in the career killer any longer. They then throw Brewer to the wolves...

What's wrong with her calling him a "cantankerous old fool"? He freely admits it himself. What his cronies at the show call him is much worse. But, ooohhh ooohhh, let Brewer say something and he lets rip with the fat and ugly comments, neither of which Brewer is, by the way...What a bunch of no-class, misogynistic creeps...

Imus blames his plummeting ratings on Brewer. Yeah, right, Don...I'm sure your falling numbers have nothing to to with the fact that you've been droning on, ad nauseum, for months, about mercury in vaccines and boring your listeners to death...

Imus insists that he can insult anyone he wants any time he wants. Go ahead Imus. I'm sure you're immune to cancellation. Heh, heh, heh...Isn't it pathetic how Imus has become what he probably detests the most- a cheap Howard Stern wannabe....


At 9:34 PM, Anonymous said...
DON IMUS NEEDS A GOOD MEAL, A GOOD DRINK, A SOFT,CUDDLEY WOMAN LIKE CONTESSA AND MAYBE A CIGARETTE AFTERWARD. HE IS SIMPLY UNHAPPY AND SPREADS HIS MISERY!

At 7:00 AM, Anonymous said...
I don't even think that Robin Quivers is subjected to the kind of stuff that Contessa put up with. I know what Imus's show is about and I watch it regularly but they were just acting like a bunch of horney 14 year old idiots who have never been around a woman before. And I think that it was a case of once they knew they had her unnerved they piled on constantly. I would like to see her file a harrassment case against them. I felt bad for her and thought it was out of line. Today now that she is gone they constantly made comments about how big her butt was and crap like that. First amendment is one thing but its still a job and to me it was just out and out harassment. They acted like a bunch of bullies and jerks and now she is gone. Stern would never treat Robin like that.


At 7:43 AM, Anonymous said...
That is because Robin Quivers is one of the brightest women on the radio. Cuntessa Brooder is just a pretty face and all women should be angry about having a pretty face shoved into their morning enjoyment ONLY because they have a face. If you can FIND a picture of here wide ass, post it here. She's a dumb idiot who did not deserve the shot she got.


At 9:32 AM, Anonymous said...
I was an avid listener to IMUS until i head them call her a slut this morning . IMUS also said he fired her and that she is a stupid bimbo and that she shouldnt have made the comments she did on a MSNBC webpage. She should sue them .They have driven all the women off the show.


At 1:57 PM, Anonymous said...
Last time I checked, Tracey Burgess was still doing every traffic update in the morning so pay attention. She obviously understands what it takes to survive and actually contribute to the show each morning, unlike that bozo Contessa Brewer. She took the gig reading the news on Imus because she figured she had nothing to lose, nobody knew who she was anyway. This was her chance to have her name heard by millions and she didn't want to play the game by Imus' rules. Well guess what? It's his show! You know the scene going in, don't complain about it now.


At 3:29 PM, Col. C.A. said...
Why is it every time the I-Man acts like the I-Man people are offended? This is not unlike the 1994 (or was it 1995) White House correspondents' dinner all over again. For some reason, people expect Imus to act like Larry King or some other media sychophant if they fawn all over him. But Imus has demonstrated time and time again that he has integrity and isn't going to change his ways. That's what makes him and his show so refreshing.

Was Contessa Brewer surprised that Imus, Bernie, et al. acted like a bunch of frat boys? That's what they are, and that's a big part of their appeal. Besides, if you watch/listen to Imus for a few days, it's pretty clear that they are equal-opportunity assholes -- they are assholes equally to everyone. Even Imus is the butt of jokes -- no one is spared and no one should be expected to be spared.

And, in defense of Imus, the humor is never mean-spirited. Even though it's often blunt and at times crude, it's never hateful.

And, as others have pointed out, Brewer is much better known because of her association Imus than she would have been if she had remained a news reader. She served her time in purgatory, so to speak, and is getting to move along.


At 9:55 PM, Anonymous said...
I was shocked by the ugly attack on Mize Brewer. I thought she was an asset to the show. It was charming the way She was always appropriately embarrassed when the crew pried into her private life. The viciousness of the attack makes me think there is something else going on. Maybe Imus or Charles put some O riley style moves on her and got rebuffed.


At 1:38 PM, Anonymous said...
On 4/29/2005 I watched the most disgusting attack of Contessa Brewer by Imus and his staff. I am joining the growing boycott of his show and the shows of his guests and have written the FCC. Free speech may be protected by the 1st amendment, but such speech is not protected during daylight hours when children may be watching.


At 2:25 PM, Anonymous said...
col c.a.,
Imus is the poster-boy for every insecure, obnoxious frat-rat asshole that I have ever met, in the Marine Corps, or elsewhere in the world. I enjoy self-effacing "over-the-top" comedy, but this jerk's campaign against Ms. Brewer (because of a remark which she was supposedly "overheard" making at a restaurant) is way out of line. Since when is calling a lady "a fat pig" and inferring that "her fat butt is stuck in the Holland Tunnel" to be considered harmless?
Get this over-the-hill dried fruit off the air. Bernie will have to go back to selling hot dogs at Shea, but, hey, that's life!
Sick of Donald


At 8:57 PM, gilliel said...
I like Imus generally, but find the childish, locker-room mentality they sometimes exhibit ridiculous. I ususally switch stations when they start that garbage.

Contessa did right to leave, although she was a positive to the show. She's been on later in the day anchoring msnbc.

Bonnen's shrubbery fetish explored

State Rep. Dennis Bonnen gets the purple sage shrubbery lobby on the phone to tell them their master plan appears to be working beautfully.
---------------------------------------------
It's all about Texas pride, state Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, tells the Houston Chronicle regarding the many, many state endorsed symbols that are approved by the Legislature.

Bonnen's bill to designate the purple sage the state's official native shrub started with a constutent, Thomas Adams, who became "very upset" upon learning the state shrub wasn't native to Texas but to Red Communist China!

Adams, an Angleton botanist, took the matter to the Native Plant Society of Texas.

Adams said the society debated the pros and cons of many shrubs but decided on the purple sage because of its aesthetic qualities.

"I originally wanted them to dump the crape myrtle," Adams said. "It's from China, and that doesn't represent Texas very well. But I'll take the native shrub designation."

Though Adams may have wanted the myrtle cut from the list, Bonnen said most lawmakers try to avoid fights since these are simply honorary measures. He said he could have lobbied for the purple sage to displace the crape myrtle, but he didn't want to take the myrtle away.

If Bonnen is anything, he's responsive to constituent pressure (especially the Texas Chemical Council), so that's how the Legislature wound up wasting its time on making the purple sage the official native shrub of Texas.
[chron]
The Brazosport News, March 23, 2005, "Bring him a SHRUBBERY!"

Imus "over the line" says MSNBC

The I-Man: ball's in his court now
-----------------------------------
MSNBC is backing up news reader Contessa Brewer, who was verbally bushwacked last Friday on the air by radio psychopath Don Imus, who likely will respond with another tirade tomorrow morning. An MSNBC spokesman told the New York Post, "Contessa Brewer is a valued and respected employee. While Don Imus' humor is often brilliant and provocative, we believe that this morning's comments about Contessa went over the line. We have expressed our displeasure to Don."

[nyp]