ADD "RECESSION" TO THE LEGACY OF PRESIDENT BUSH!!!

In a recent book about President Bush that included President Bush's cooperation, we learn that President Bush is concerned about his "legacy". Nothing earth shaking about that. One would assume that all Presidents of the United States would have that concern, but now that President Bush has gone public with it...

No reason to regurgitate all the incompetence associated with Iraq. Or the spending of our money like it was all his money. And who can forget Katrina?

You get the idea.

Add recession to President Bush's legacy. It hasn't officially begun because like with "weapons of mass destruction", it'll be quite awhile before truth is acknowledged. But because of a combination of spend, spend, spend and virtually no oversight regarding regulations and a belief in the folly that if entrepreneurs are left alone, the economy will be "wonderful", our eyes have been opened by what's going on in the housing market. And it's just a tip of the iceberg, folks.

Am I being negative just for the sake of being negative? Nope. It's just that I've never been a Kool Aid dispenser and I refuse to wear blinders and allow myself to be led like sheep.

Open your eyes, folks! Our country is too strong for what is happening now to be an irreversible circumstance! But what we must do is remove these amateurs from power and get some people in a new administration whose only concerns are what's best for all of us as opposed to what's happening now. Which is a singular concern about what's best for the most privileged of us!

But for now, fasten your seat belts, because the ride's going to be a little bumpy.

AND SPEAKING OF THE PRIVILEGED:

Did we just witness the ending to another "celebrity justice" trial?

I'm referring to the Phil Spector/Lana Clarkson trial.

Spector was accused of murdering Clarkson. Spector's lawyers claimed that at worst, it was a terrible accident.

Yesterday, a mistrial was declared. In the deliberations, the jury moved from 8-4 in favor of acquittal to 10-2 in favor of conviction. And because there was no movement from that vote, the judge declared it a mistrial and prosecutors say they will retry Spector.

Regarding the "celebrity justice" question I posed? The answer is an unqualified, "No!" The average person had no idea who Spector was until he was charged with murder. The average person certainly didn't know who Lana Clarkson was because her one claim to fame, "Barbarian Queen", was a film she starred in more than 20 years ago.

Full disclosure: When "Barbarian Queen" first came out, I was a nightly Los Angeles sports anchor. I had already agreed to be the Grand Marshal of a big local parade. When I heard about "Barbarian Queen", I contacted Clarkson and asked her sit next to me in the float I was riding in. She agreed and I made a big deal out of not just having a "Queen" sitting next to me, but "The...." You get the idea. I thought she was a real sweetheart. Looks wise and otherwise. After a couple of years, I lost track of her.

I don't know who did what in that mansion that night and the only person who might know is Spector, because except for Clarkson, no one else was in the room that this tragedy occurred. And I say might know because as much as he had to drink, it's possible he really doesn't know what happened. But this much is clear. For years, Spector had a very bad and dangerous habit of waving guns around women who for whatever reason, had displeased him.

In conclusion, one can't help but think that Phil Spector probably should have been locked up a long time ago. If for no other reason than to hope that incarceration would have cured him of his dangerous desire to flash guns to exhibit power that his size didn't give him.

MORE NEW TELEVISION SHOWS:

Some of your old favorites will begin airing new episodes tonight along with shows that will be showing you their first episodes.

Among others, "Ugly Betty", "My Name is Earl", "The Office", "CSI" (the original "CSI"), and "Without a Trace" will all begin new seasons tonight.

"Grey's Anatomy", one my very favorite shows will also air it's first episode of the season on ABC at 9, but it's the show that will be on ABC after "Grey's Anatomy" that is getting some critical attention. That would be "Big Shots", a show that stars Dylan McDermott ("The Practice"), Joshua Malina ("The West Wing"), Christopher Titus ("Titus") and Michael Vartan ("Alias"). In other words, big time television star power. The reviews for this show are bad. The L.A. Times' Mary McNamara seems to be speaking for a lot of critics when she writes (in essence), "Big Shots? It's more like 'Obnoxious Jerks!'"

And then there's a show that all critics seem to like (including me) that will feature what we're told will be a very special episode tonight. I'm referring to "Mad Men" on AMC at 10. "Mad Men" is a very good show!

EDITOR'S NOTE: IF YOU READ THIS BEFORE PICTURES HAVE BEEN ADDED, COME BACK! PICTURES WILL BE UP SOON!

A new blog is written every morning, Monday through Friday and is posted between 7 and 7:15, Pacific Time. Sometimes earlier. Questions and comments can be sent to scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I do write back.

TOMORROW: No clue, but know this; I'll always write about something that makes me say, "Whaaaat?!?"