The Jammer With The Hammer

Senator McCain flunks the "English" test!!!

2008-07-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

Presidential candidate John McCain was presiding over a town hall meeting in Pipersville, Pennsylvania a couple of days ago when the audience let out a roar of applause that was loud enough to make anyone walking by think there'd be no reason to vote, because McCain's "got it in the bag".

Not so fast!

The deafening applause was the result of a question McCain was asked by a woman in the audience; "Why, as an American, do I have to push a button to speak English or hear English?"

After the applause died down, McCain said, "I think you struck a nerve."

The woman went on to say, "I tell you, I really get ticked. I really do."

McCain said, "I can tell!"

The woman then said, "And then you go into Lowe's, and it says 'entrada'. And every utility bill you get has got a foreign language on it."

McCain's response was, "I understand your frustration. There is a great thing about America, and that is we welcome all people (pause) We are the great, great nation that brings people together from all (pause) backgrounds and languages and cultures. And we love the Hispanic heritage, (pause) we love the Irish heritage, we love all the heritages (pause) that has enriched our country."

SHORT COMMENTARY:

What a load of politically correct HORSE MANURE!!!

This lady isn't the only American who's sick and BEEN sick about other languages being forced upon us and causing English speaking Americans to have to take lots of extra time for (what used to be) routine tasks to be addressed and taken care of.

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN...WE HAVE TREATED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH KID GLOVES FOR WAY TOO LONG!!! IT'S NOW GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE HERE LEGALLY HAVE DECIDED TO NOT LEARN ENGLISH!!! CAN YOU BLAME THEM?!? THEY SEE THAT POLITICIANS LIKE McCAIN WON'T STAND UP AND DO ANYTHING. NOR WILL POLICE CHIEFS LIKE THIS BRATTON GUY WE HAVE HERE IN LOS ANGELES. NOR WILL OUR LATINO MAYOR, A MAYOR WHO IS BEST KNOWN AS A GUY WHO HAS TROUBLE KEEPING HIS PANTS ON!!!

WHEN WE CUT THROUGH THE CRAP, WE SEE THAT THE MAJORITY OF ILLEGALS COME HERE TO "GAME THE SYSTEM". AND "GAME IT" THEY DO!!! THEY GET FREE HEALTH CARE, FREE SCHOOLING, AUTOMATIC U.S. CITIZENSHIP FOR A CHILD THE ILLEGAL IS EITHER THE MOTHER OR FATHER OF, SYMPATHY FROM POLITICALLY CONNECTED BLEEDING HEART ACTIVISTS AND I COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON...

AND WHEN THE ILLEGALS ARE ASKED ABOUT LEARNING TO SPEAK ENGLISH IN THIS SO-CALLED NEW "HOMELAND" OF THEIRS? THE PERSON ASKING THE QUESTION GETS A LOOK OF SCORN THAT SAYS IN ESSENCE; "ENGLISH?" WE DON'T NEED TO SPEAK NO BLEEPING ENGLISH!!! WE'RE TAKING OVER!!!

And if you think that isn't true, you haven't been paying attention.

OIL!!!

Here's an interesting bit of trivia on top of the news about American oil companies being on the verge of signing lucrative oil deals with Iraq. Deals that a lot of Iraqis are against because the deals seem to favor the American oil companies too much.

We were all told that the invasion of Iraq, a war that has gone on for more than 5 years, had nothing to do with oil. It was about WMD's, 9/11, Saddam's a bad guy, etc., etc. One out of three was true. But Saddam was a bad guy all along, including when he was an "ally" of ours! WMD's? B.S.! 9/11? No connection at all! TOTAL B.S.!!!

Here's the Iraq oil trivia item. When Baghdad fell in 2003, because of all the chaos, things were very scary there. American troops weren't ordered to protect Iraq's National Museum, Iraq's National Library or Iraq's Health Ministry. American troops were ordered to protect Iraq's OIL Ministry!!!

Hmmmm....

OSAMA bin LADEN!!!

This is the guy who's responsible for 9/11!!! And for almost SEVEN YEARS, this tall, turban headed ugly assassin has been thumbing his nose at us. This past June 30, there was a terrific front page story in the L.A. Daily News about the so-called "hunt" for Osama bin Laden by us. A "hunt" that has been stymied by our so-called ally, Pakistan and a "hunt" that has repeatedly been victimized by clueless Bush bureaucrats who can't seem to be able to get out of their own way while driving U.S. Special Operations warriors and CIA warriors CRAZY!!! You are encouraged to read this story and you'll have more reasons to understand why we need to rid ourselves of this administration ASAP.

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

A THOUGHT FOR JOHN McCAIN TO PONDER!!!

We're told that John McCain hasn't decided on his running mate and in fact, is having a very difficult time coming to a decision.

The feeling here is that both candidates could be well served if they chose a terrific person nobody has really thought about.

There's a guy in his 50's who recently retired. We all agree that our economy SUCKS!!! This guy in his 50's who recently retired knows a lot about prosperity!!!

Do you think John McCain would ever give serious consideration to BILL GATES as his running mate? Just a thought.

RUSH LIMBAUGH!!!

Zev Chafets has written a 9-page story about Rush Limbaugh that will appear in Sunday's NY Times Magazine, this Sunday, July 6th.

I've read it. I think it's terrific!

Hold on, now! If you're a fan of Rush's, you might think my recommendation would indicate this 9-page NY Times Magazine story is a "hatchet job" of some kind.

You would be wrong to think that way. It isn't a "hatchet job" and I think Rush will love it!!!

I also think Rush Limbaugh will go down in history as one of the greatest "snake oil salesmen" in the history of broadcasting, if not the greatest! But he's also a good entertainer. And I don't think he's wrong all the time. Just a lot of the time which is probably most of the time.

In this NY Times Magazine story about Rush, we learn (among other things) that Rush Limbaugh is in favor of a 17% FLAT TAX for all Americans. Ya know what? SO AM I!!!

Rush and I are definitely on the same page regarding illegal immigrants. Rush and I are very different when it comes to Us vs. Them when the "Them" are fellow Americans who don't happen to be the same sex or ethnicity of "Us". But yeah, he's most of the time successful at being "entertaining" when he's being "hurtful", too.

Nothing "hurtful" about the 9-page, July 6, NY Times Magazine story on Rush Limbaugh. Check it out!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY EVERYONE AND PLEASE STOP TO TAKE A SECOND TO UNDERSTAND WHAT "INDEPENDENCE DAY" REALLY MEANS!!!

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. As a rule, a new blog is posted every Wednesday afternoon (late) or (early) Wednesday evening.

"NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO!!!"

2008-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

While thinking about what to write today (there's sooo much!), an old song by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Chuck Berry came to mind. The title of that song is this week's headline. Do you remember the first words of that song? "Ridin' around in my auto-mobile!"

And that leads me to what my first subject will be.

When you're ridin' around in your auto-mobile, is there a favorite radio station you listen to? If you're answer is, "Not really.", you're not alone.

I'm not in my car much, but when I am, I listen to Rick Dees in the morning on Movin'-FM and at night, I listen to "The Joe McDonnell Experience" on KLAC-AM.

That's it?

Yep!

Why?

Too many commercials combined with too little talent.

So when I'm in the car, with the two exceptions I acknowledge, I listen to a lot of music CD's.

And that leads me to something I wholeheartedly endorse as something I think you'd enjoy listening to at home. Especially if you like "oldies". No, not the repetitive boring oldies. I'm talkin' 'bout oldies you grew up with and fell in love with. Oldies you can hear on your computer at http://www.richbroradio.com/ I listen to this all the time while I do my work here.

I live and work in Los Angeles, so the radio stations I mentioned are L.A. radio stations. http://www.richbroradio.com/ is something you can listen to anywhere in the world! No commercials. Just fun oldies hosted by a guy in San Diego who's been having fun all of his life.

AND NOW, SOME UN-PLEASANT ITEMS...

Food prices!

I was in my favorite supermarket yesterday. I heard so much grumblin', I got to thinkin' I might have accidentally walked into a sporting event.

I'm not going to itemize here, because I know that you're experiencing what I'm experiencing! More examples of how lousy this economy is under the worst administration in all of our lifetimes! Bread, soup, soda, liquid breakfasts, cookies, cheese, everything!!! Higher, Higher and Higher!!! Because of also having to deal with outrageous gas prices and everything else that costs a lot more, we're all stuck with the same problem. What can I live without!!!

SOME PEOPLE IN CONGRESS WANT TO BAIL OUT THE UNSCRUPULOUS LENDERS WHO MADE THOSE "TOO EASY TO GET" LOANS THAT HAVE RESULTED IN MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF FORECLOSURES!?!

No, No, NO!!!

President Bush seems to (finally) be on the right side of an issue (this one) and one only hopes that he isn't talked into changing his mind.

THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE!!!

If you listen to, watch or read the propaganda spewed by people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc., the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" is about them and they're scared to death.

And if you listen closely, you'll hear something new on these programs. People with opposing views are being allowed on and in some cases to stay on a little longer than usual. Because Rush is a "stone pro", his new callers are actually given a pretty fair hearing now. But Hannity? I can't recreate his phony laugh, but please imagine that I am. Sean Hannity encourages people to call him "A great American" and while he has recently had people on who disagree with him, he doesn't give that occasional opposing view a real chance to express his or her point of view. When Hannity's quickly tired of the caller who dares to disagree with him, he berates their views with more propaganda and hangs up on them. But when a caller agrees with him and flatters him, that caller is on until it's time for a commercial.

Sean Hannity acts as though he's in constant awe when he speaks to or makes reference to, Mayor Rudy, Speaker Newt and Architect Karl.

Architect Karl is a baby faced "assassin" who if he'd ever been in combat would likely to have had reason to be fearful of both sides and in my opinion should be in jail because of the Plame business.

Mayor Rudy showed how classy he is when his wife found out he was leaving her by hearing him say it in a press conference.

Speaker Newt seems like a guy I would probably like and a guy who I think could have been a serious presidential contender except for a serious "family values" flaw. A flaw that was highly publicized.

Sean Hannity likes to talk a lot about "associations". Well, I've just now told you about three of his associations. Associations that wouldn't (in the big picture of things) make any difference, but Hannity likes to talk about how big of a "family values" guy he is and what kind of a "straight-up" guy he is. Maybe so, but his associations don't pass those "smell tests".

Back to the "Fairness Doctrine". If it passes, stations that broadcast political talk shows would have to give "equal time" for/to opposing views. This would most likely lead to stations deciding this was/is too much "trouble" and would cause them to change formats which would put these political talk show hosts out of work.

Greedy radio companies and hosts who began to believe their own press clippings have brought this possibility onto themselves. They've had a great ride, but they've also gotten cocky.

So now, when you hear a few more opposing views on these shows, you'll know why. The question is, have they begun to allow these views too late?!?

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

GEORGE CARLIN!!!

A very funny man who was a "pioneer" passed away the other day. George Carlin was 71. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I saw many of his specials on HBO. I did a lot of laughing when I watched him perform. Like when he said, "Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will CLEAN them?!?"

DON IMUS!!!

A broadcasting legend! Also a "pioneer" in the sense that he was one of the first "shock jocks".

Lately, he's had trouble keeping subjects having to do with "race" from coming out of his mouth.

It's a shame, because once upon a time, Don Imus was one very funny dude. Maybe he still is, but all we ever hear about him now has to do with him being in trouble because of something he said that has a "race" taint to it.

Yes, that's been part of his act in the past, but ya always gotta understand your current terrain. If you're no longer able to understand your current terrain, it might be time to "hang 'em up".

DIANE LANE!!!

I'm going to close this week's blog on a pleasant note.

I became a fan of Diane Lane's when I saw her first film, "A Little Romance". I think she was 12 or 13 and she was absolutely adorable in that film.

I remember watching Siskel & Ebert one night when Gene was still alive and Roger was still functional and both guys went off on a rant about how Diane Lane never seemed to get the good roles and that in their opinion, Diane Lane was someone who deserved a "break" because her terrific talent was being wasted!

I totally agreed with what they said and I've had this long distance "crush" on her forever.

I've never met Diane Lane, but I got close to meeting her. Once. At a party in Malibu in the mid to late 80's. It was a benefit for a female stunt driver who had suffered very serious and life changing injuries in a crash. If memory serves, it was at Jamie Lee Curtis' home. Tatum O'Neal was also there along with some female "brat packers". I was there with an Australian actress. When we decided to leave, we had to go through the living room to reach the front door. Standing there alone, smoking a cigarette, was Diane Lane. I'll never know what I might have said or done if I hadn't been with a date, but what I did do was wink as I walked past her.

I bring this up because a reader of this blog who chooses to remain anonymous, heard me on KLAC a couple of weeks ago speaking with show host Joe McDonnell about Diane Lane. Joe's also a fan of hers. The anonymous reader/listener sent me a DVD that includes scenes from films she's been in and photographs of her. A lot of this stuff I hadn't seen before, but seeing it reminded me of what Siskel & Ebert said and when the DVD ended, I knew I had looked at one of the most (if not the most) sincere smiles I've ever seen in my life.

An actor much smarter than me gave me these acting words of wisdom; "Once you've learned how to fake it, you've got it made!"

And I say, if what I saw on that Diane Lane DVD was "fakin' it", I will be more than happy to pay for that acting class!

FYI...Diane Lane's next film will be "Nights in Rodanthe" and is scheduled to be shown in September. Richard Gere and Christopher Meloni will also be in this film. This will be Lane's third film with Richard Gere. The last one, "Unfaithful", got her an Oscar nomination.

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. I'm still working on a "suicide" story.

If Obama wins the election, will Hillary be nominated for the next U.S. Supreme Court opening?!?

2008-06-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who think that Barack Obama will choose Hillary Clinton to be his running mate? Ain't gonna happen unless his first two choices don't want the job.

But everyone agrees that Hillary should be offered something! Like a nice cabinet position orrrr...How about a nomination to be the new member of the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as there's an opening?

Something to chew on, folks.

SPEAKING OF BARACK OBAMA!!!

Did you see Obama's wife, Michelle, on "The View" today. She was a guest co-host, but for almost the first half of the show, she answered a lot of questions that were posed by the regular hosts.

I thought she came across as very charming.

Radio and television talk host Sean Hannity also saw the show and he said on his radio show(among other things) that he thought Michelle Obama displayed a "phony frozen smile".

Okay. Sean Hannity is not a Barack Obama supporter and he's had negative things to say about Michelle. When you're running for the highest office in the land, the candidate is fair game and so is the candidate's spouse.

The key word being "fair" game!

Which brings me back to Sean Hannity. No doubt about his politics. His definition of Conservative is "good". His definition of Liberal is "bad". Hannity's a big "family values" guy and he's a huge supporter of the war! I mean he wraps himself up in his definition of the "patriotism" thing.

Nothing wrong with that. Especially if you walk the walk. We all know he talks the talk.

Let's examine a couple of things regarding Sean Hannity.

He preaches a lot about "family values". Two guys he seems to idolize are former Mayor Rudy and former House Speaker Newt. Does anyone honestly believe that those two guys pass the "family values" test?

Sean Hannity also preaches a lot about "service to country" and he feels that what we're doing in Iraq is for all the right reasons and he never had a problem with Valerie Plame being "outed" as a CIA agent.

Can anyone name one thing Sean Hannity has done regarding "service to country" except for running his mouth like a ventriloquist's dummy.

I use the "ventriloquist's dummy" analogy because Hannity has talked a lot about Obama supporters drinking the "Kool-Aid".

Hannity has a lot of gall when he tries to make that point! Either that or someone needs to play him a tape of one his own shows so he can hear himself pontificating on things that make Hannity sound like he's drowning in Kool-Aid given to him by people who should probably be in jail! People like Karl Rove!

And when's the last time you ever heard Sean Hannity say anything about Osama bin Laden?!?

I've never heard Hannity say anything about bin Laden, but I don't listen all the time so I'm assuming he has, but certainly not in the last few months or more.

Sean Hannity: A very successful and much listened to Parrot-Puppet. Come to think of it, so was Tokyo Rose.

I could be very wrong about this, but after listening to Hannity a lot, I get the feeling that here's a nice looking guy with a good sense of humor who often had his lunch money taken from him while he was in junior and senior high school.

And once he got the career break of his life, he's been getting even ever since.

If I'm right, I say, "Payback's a bitch, huh Sean?!?"

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

TIGER WOODS & KOBE BRYANT!!!

This is being written on June 18, 2008 and there are two big sports stories people are talking about here in Los Angeles. Tiger Woods' season ending knee problem and the Lakers' horrific season ending loss to the Celtics last night.

In a 19-hole playoff, Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open this past Monday. And he did it while walking 91 holes on a very painful knee. A knee that we now will require surgery meaning that Woods won't play golf again until sometime in 2009.

Golfer Retief Goosen had the audacity to suggest that Tiger might have been "faking it" while doing some of his limping during the U.S. Open. Okay, with no Tiger to worry about, let's see how many tournaments Goosen wins between now and the time Tiger comes back.

Tiger Woods has more money and fame to last the rest of his life and then some. Some fans would have been disappointed, but no one would have gotten on his case if he had "shut it down" in the middle of the U.S. Open. But after the U.S. Open had ended, Tiger said, "There was no way I was going to quit on these people." "These people" being the fans who had bought tickets to watch him play.

As many of you know, I'm a former radio and television sports and talk host who's now an actor. My long time agent is Sid Levin who's agency is in Beverly Hills and he wrote me a line about Tiger Woods that I want to include here. "I wish the Lakers would talk to Tiger about the will to compete and win!"

Amen to that, Brother Sid!

For those of us who have been fans of the Lakers for a long time, that performance they gave in last night's game against the Celtics was disgraceful.

I take that back. It was beyond disgraceful!

Before the Lakers-Celtics series began, there was a lot of discussion (again) about the comparison between the new NBA MVP, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. And some of the "experts" expressed the view that Kobe was better than Michael or at least Michael's equal!

Uh, okay. Before game one of the just concluded Lakers-Celtics series.

But NOW?!?

Before becoming an actor, I had the pleasure of covering the Lakers on television when they were known as the "Showtime Lakers". Magic Johnson's Lakers, if you will.

Kobe Bryant in the same breath with Michael Jordan? Puh-leeze!!!

Kobe Bryant has no business being uttered in the same breath with Magic Johnson!

If Kobe Bryant is be compared to any great player, I think I have the perfect guy. Dominique Wilkins.

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. Our lead story might be about "SUICIDE" and how that's a subject many Americans are quietly considering because of economic problems they've grown weary of dealing with.

Gas prices? Iran/Israel? Iraq? Here in L.A., it's all about the LAKERS!!!

2008-06-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

For a few days, we here in L.A. have stopped talking about Hillary's terrific speech, President Bush's continued cluelessness, the never ending rising of gas prices and our possibly getting dragged by Israel into a war with Iran.

Nothing but nothing is more important to Angelinos than "The Lakers, baby!!!"

On the day that this blog is written, the Lakers are celebrating their first win (last night) over the Celtics in the NBA Finals that is now led by the Celtics, two games to one. Game four of this best of seven series will be played tomorrow night. The feeling here is that the Lakers will win tomorrow night and Sunday night which would send this series back to Boston for a game 6 and a possible game 7.

BACK TO POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND WAR QUESTIONS!!!

Did you see or listen to the Hillary Clinton concession speech this past Saturday? In previous blogs, I have written the wish that we no longer elect anyone named Bush or Clinton to be a President of the United States, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good speech if I hear one from a Bush or a Clinton.

I thought that Hillary Clinton's speech was TERRIFIC!!!

And yes, I believe that the Obama people will seriously consider the thought to offer Senator Clinton the opportunity to be Obama's running mate.

My personal choice is Senator Joe Biden, the Obama people are said to be considering a retired General or two, but as this is written, you can "take this to the bank"; The Obama people have no idea who they're going to pick.

But ya know what? I also don't think the McCain people know who they're going to pick! I think that Senator McCain would probably like to pick Senator Joe Lieberman, I think he's thought about Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, but the man or woman most of his advisors probably want is a current young governor.

GAS PRICES!!! GRRRRR!!!! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SWITCHGRASS?!?

One of the gas stations that is walking distance from me is now selling Premium gasoline for $4.99.9 a gallon. No, I don't live in a rich neighborhood. The lowest price for Regular is in the $4.60 a gallon range.

Switchgrass! This is something that we're told is easy to grow and is also something that might well be responsible for bringing the price of gasoline down if our government would get behind it and investment money was raised to make it happen.

President Bush mentioned this stuff right after he was reelected, but he doesn't seem to have mentioned it since. Is that because of "Big Oil" getting their fat cat lobbyists to convince us to quit talking about something that could lower the price of oil which would lower the price of gasoline?

I don't know the answer to that question, but isn't it a legitimate question to ask? And while we're at it, isn't it also a legitimate question to ask how effective switchgrass could/would be and whether or not it's potential use could be made available to everyone?!?

AND SPEAKING OF THE PRICE OF GAS....

Do you know what the average price of gasoline was at the beginning of the Bush administration?

Give up?

$1.46 a gallon!!!

Cause and effect: Expensive war, no taxes to pay for the war, no "apparent" sacrifice by any of us unless one of us or a member of our family has joined the military, but look at what has happened "down the road" after we were scared into believing that a war in Iraq was the right thing to do by this most incompetent of "leaders". Yes sir, Mr. President. As you've told us, "I'm the DECIDER!" And you're on the verge of "deciding" every one of us into the poorhouse if we don't get you out of the White House in time!

Basic economics, Mr. President. Borrow the money. Pay back the money. Borrow too much? Can't pay it back? Bankruptcy. Or when we're talking about a whole country, DEPRESSION!

There was a mission that would have cost a lot of money that I would have been in favor of. The mission involving the capturing and or killing of Osama bin Laden.

Mr. President, here's a question that you should have been asked a long time ago.

Is there a reason you don't WANT bin Laden captured or killed?

One turban headed 6 foot 6 inch sickly looking ugly guy and the greatest military in the world can't find him?!?

Mr. President, I'm just a dumb guy who writes a blog, but even I could come up with a plan involving bribery and power that would smoke this guy out! Is that because I've had more military experience than you or most of your "enablers" have had?

AND SPEAKING OF WARS...

Israel is talking about possibly attacking Iran because of concerns about Iran's possible nuclear capabilities. Capabilities that Iran says are for the producing of electricity for their citizens. And we're told that Israel might need help from the United States if they decide to attack Iran.

I have a question I'd like to ask and I'll admit that it's a question based on ignorance. MY IGNORANCE!!!

Unless I'm imagining things, it seems to me that we support Israel, no questions asked, no matter what they do.

Why is that?

This stupid Iraq war we let ourselves get involved in is damn near bankrupting us. And now we might get into another war? With Iran? If Israel asks us to?

I AM NOW GOING TO ASK ALL OF YOU TO PLEASE READ WHAT I'M ABOUT TO WRITE AND IF YOU DON'T END UP NODDING YOUR HEAD IN AGREEMENT, PLEASE WRITE TO ME AND TELL ME "WHY"?

Israel isn't the only country that has expressed concerns about Iran and nuclear stuff. Germany has and so has our country. Maybe some others.

Let's say for the sake of argument that Iran is building nuclear stuff that has to do with more that electricity for their citizens.

And let's say for the sake of argument that Iran sent nuclear warheads in our direction. If they were lucky, they might wipe out or severely damage areas that might add up to Boston and New York, population wise. That would be a terrible tragedy. And it would take a long time for us to "get over it". But we would "get over it".

But because of the IMMENSE firepower that WE have, here's what would happen to Iran. There would no longer BE an Iran!

Look, I know there's no discounting the potential lunacy ingrained in luna-tics, but do we believe Iran's leadership is that stupid?

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. I'll share some thoughts with you about the lack of "vision" which led to The Idiot's Tax, the big bank that suckers you with "trickery", some thoughts about Sean Hannity and some thoughts on another conservative talk show host who's "act" is having conversations with himself when the "caller" doesn't agree with him.

In July, Gasoline Prices Will Be MORE Than $5 A GALLON!!!

2008-06-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

This blog is written from my home in the San Fernando Valley which is a part of Los Angeles County. Gasoline prices near where I live are as high as $4.70+ a gallon for Premium and as low as $4.27 for Regular. That's as of June 4, 2008. Diesel fuel costs between $5.25 and $5.50 a gallon.

Yesterday, I spoke with a high ranking officer of one of the major oil companies. He told me I couldn't use his name but what I could use was this; "In July, the LOWEST price for ALL gasoline will be MORE than $5 a gallon!!!"

But...But...We keep being told the the price for a barrel of oil is going down, so why is the price of gasoline going UP?!?

The answer?

Because!

The whole answer?

Because we CAN!!!

Oh!

"We need to strive for INDEPENDENCE FROM FOREIGN OIL!!!"

Since gasoline was rationed during the Carter administration, how many Presidents of the United States have used the "Independence from foreign oil" phrase?

Give up?

ALL OF THEM!!!

How many of those Presidents of the United States have rolled up their sleeves and arm twisted members of Congress to GET LEGISLATION PASSED that would BEGIN our "Independence from foreign oil" journey?!?

Give up?

NONE OF THEM!!!

In fact, who was the LAST President of the United States who showed POLITICS BE DAMNED "vision" about ANYTHING?!? And was willing to risk his political career on trying to get his "vision" PASSED?!?

Give up?

LBJ!!!

And what was that?!?

THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT!!!

Which brings us to the two people we have to choose from to be our NEXT President of the United States!!!

Barack Obama or John McCain.

Am I forgetting about Hillary Clinton? No, but she needs to forget about thinking she's still a "candidate".

Do Obama or McCain have the necessary "vision" and "courage" to roll up their sleeves and arm wrestle with members of Congress in order to get legislation passed and "policies" changed that will benefit most of us instead of only a few of us?

Like?

Staying out of the business of other countries, ALL other countries and concentrate on all the problems we have HERE!!!

Like?

A GENUINE ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES "POLITICS BE DAMNED" EFFORT TO GET LEGISLATION PASSED THAT WILL (finally) BEGIN OUR JOURNEY TOWARD INDEPENDENCE FROM FOREIGN OIL!!!

Legislation that would include drilling for oil HERE and the building of more NUCLEAR PLANTS!!!

And?

Cutting the DEFENSE BUDGET!!!

We have enough weapons and bombs to DESTROY THE WORLD if we wanted to! There is more money WASTED in the Defense Budget than for ANYTHING else we spend money on!!!

And?

HEALTH INSURANCE!!!

I don't know how to fix this problem, but someone who wants to be President of the United States SHOULD have a workable "vision" TO fix this problem because this is one hell of a BIG problem!

And?

IRAQ, but that's covered 11 or 12 paragraphs ago.

HERE'S THE DEAL, GANG!!!

Because of ALL the problems we need to begin the solving process of, it's going to be very interesting to hear what these two men who want to our next President of the United States say! Are either one of them going to have the POLITICS BE DAMNED "vision" and "courage" to risk their political careers on the solving of these or (at least) ONE of these problems?!?

If so, that person gets MY vote!!!

If it turns out to be obvious neither one of these guys is any different than the unimaginative and fearful presidents before LBJ, we're gonna have a very rough next four years!

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

BRIEF ENTERTAINMENT STUFF!!!

The new "Indiana Jones" film. Don't waste your time. The acting is okay. In fact, I thought John Hurt was terrific, but the writing (for a franchise film?) was horrible.

"The Strangers". An interesting horror film. A horror film that does two things all horror films don't do. It cost 9 million dollars to make and it made more than 20 million dollars the first weekend.

"Sex And The City". I went to a 12:30 showing on the first afternoon it opened. The theatre was packed. In a 2 hour and 22 minutes long film, there figures to be a "lag point" or two and this film was no exception. But the "lag points" weren't critical and I agreed with the audience when at the end of "Sex And The City", the audience let out a loud roar of appreciation.

I loved the film!

TWO REALITY SHOWS!!!

As a rule, I'm not a fan of "reality" shows because "real", they ain't. "Reality" shows tend to be more scripted than any drama or comedy I've ever had the pleasure to work on.

Having said that, I've seen both episodes of the Ryan Seacrest produced, "Denise Richards, It's Complicated" annnd,"Living Lohan".

Both shows feature new episodes every Sunday evening on the E! Channel.

"Living Lohan" features relatives of Lindsay Lohan who is talked about a lot, but who has (so far) not made an appearance on the show. This is a show created by and starring the "Desperately wanting to be famous" Dina Lohan, who is Lindsay's mother. We see a lot of Dina, her 14-year old daughter, Ali and younger son, Cody.

Cody, I feel your pain.

I'm gonna guess that at one time, Dina might have been a "babe". Maybe her daughter Ali will one day become a famous singer, but if she's not careful, what people who watch this show are going to remember, is an Ali attitude that is sometimes unpleasant. If this show was on before Denise Richards' show instead of after, I'd probably ignore it.

"Denise Richards, It's Complicated" is a show I'm liking a lot!

Yeah, she's profane. Yeah, she's....

Lemme tell you something. What Denise Richards strikes me as is...Someone who's real!

First of all, she's a 37-year old "knockout" who's dad and two kids are living with her. I find myself enjoying this show because I really care about what she might do next.

Would I like her if I was close to her? Hard to say, but from a distance, I can't help but wonder.

And for me, that's the difference between these two shows. Warts and all, I'd love to be up close to Denise Richards to try to find out what makes her tick. Because I already know what makes Dina Lohan tick.

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG?

Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. I'll share some thoughts with you about talk show host Sean Hannity and anything else that makes me say, "Whaaaat?!?"

We Don't Need Another President With "DADDY" Issues!!!

2008-05-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

A lot of children, when they become adults, carry a lot of baggage. More often than not, it has to do with their parents. Over time, most folks "get over it", but some, never "get over it" and it often affects them in ways they're not conscious of, but the people they deal with are conscious of.

Usually, it's Mommy or Daddy that the inner fear and loathing is directed at, but sometimes it's both parents.

When the film "W" comes out in a few months, "W", as in George W. Bush will be played by Josh Brolin and we will see scenes portraying the "Daddy Issues" the current President Bush has with the former President Bush. The former President Bush was a war hero, Director of the CIA and President of the United States. The current President Bush is now and has been, a guy who has (to put it kindly) led a "charmed life". He was a bonafide slacker as a young adult, a failure as an oil man, a failure as a baseball owner and while it appears he might have had some success as the Governor of Texas, there are those who say it was the people who he surrounded himself with that helped him achieve whatever success he had as Governor of Texas.

But as the President of the United States? Those of us who have been paying attention didn't need the Scott McClellan book that's about to come out. The fact that this President Bush either didn't know that Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction or that he did know and lied about it, is irrelevant. And the "9/11" connection that this President Bush effectively sold to us? Admit it. Weren't we stupid to buy into this President Bush's baloney because the fact is, there simply was NO legitimate reason to attack Iraq!

Amateur psychologists (and probably a lot of real ones) will tell you that because his "daddy" did it the right way when he sent troops into Iraq and then got quickly out of Iraq, this President Bush was bound and determined to prove his "Daddy" wrong.

Thank GOD we have only a few more months of this President Bush's incompetence.

Whe you see the scenes portrayed in the film "W" about the "Daddy Issues", you'll have a clearer understanding of what I'm talking/writing about.

But the headline of this blog blares, We Don't Need ANOTHER President With Daddy Issues!" So...What am I referring to?

JOHN McCAIN!

Another slacker as a young adult. Got into Annapolis because his "Daddy" and his "Granddaddy" were big time Admirals in the Navy. Because of all the trouble McCain admits to have gotten into while at Annapolis (in a book), he probably didn't kicked out of Annapolis because of his heroic relatives. Especially his "Daddy" who rose to the rank of the top Admiral of all Admirals while young John barely graduated from Annapolis. That's also in a book about McCain.

McCain finally got an identity of his own while he was a Prisoner of War, but it's interesting to note that when he returned, he didn't return with the rank of (at least) "Captain".

But when your "Daddy" was the biggest of all ADMIRALS, what's a boy with "Daddy Issues" to do?!?

Well, becoming a United States Senator was a good start. He showed no strength at all when he left a wife who waited for him while he was a Prisoner of War and he showed even less strength when Karl Rove and company bushwhacked him in 2000 with a phony story in South Carolina alleging that McCain had fathered an illegitimate baby with a black woman. All he had to was forcefully tell everyone the truth. It was a baby that he and his new wife had adopted. Most folks believe McCain would have gotten the nomination instead of Bush if he'd had an immediate loud and public, "WAIT JUST A GOD DAMN MINUTE!!!" moment If he didn't have the strength to do what's right for himself and his family, why should anyone believe he'd have the strength to do what's right for AMERICA!

For you see, sometimes, when you're consumed with "Daddy Issues", you can't think straight.

OH...BY THE WAY...

Wasn't it nice that President Bush showed the troops he's in a "sacrificial mood" with the announcement that, "I've given up GOLF!"

Barack Obama is NOT a LOCK!!!

I forget the date I wrote my predictions regarding who the two presidential nominees would end up being. Probably more than a year ago. Whenever it was, you can find it by scanning my blogs because they're all available for viewing.

Anyway, the prediction I DID make was Barack Obama and Fred Thompson and that was before Thompson had announced he WAS a candidate.

Looking back, I can't help but believe that ol' Fred might have noticed that Obama was getting a lot of attention for saying he was all about "CHANGE!" And the fact that Obama never specifically said what the "change" WAS might have intrigued Thompson because maybe he figured he could jump in, tell everyone how much fun he'd had on "Law & Order", make a little noise about "Better Change!" and then go home and take a nap.

Once Fred Thompson realized folks wanted something a little more than a former senator, former actor who was lazy, he picked up his bumper stickers and campaign buttons and went home.

But Obama is still with us. And while there's a lot about him I like, I'm not blinded by him and I can't help but notice that he's still short on the specifics of this great "CHANGE" he wants us to believe in.

The democratic convention in Colorado is coming up. Hillary is still trying to convice Super Delegates that SHE's the one who should get the nomination because she'd be the best candidate. Obama is acting like a guy who has the nomination sewn up and most folks seem to agree with that assessment.

I Beg To Differ...

Yes, I know all about the history that could be made this coming November. History involving the possible election of a woman or an African American man to be our next President of the United States.

Buuuuut...

With all the dumb things Hillary has said recently...I mean, this Bobby Kennedy nomination analogy made everyone (with a brain) be reminded of the fact that Kennedy was assassinated and that's what she was suggesting might or could happen to Obama.

And while Barack Obama continues to draw good crowds when he gives speeches, when is he going to give us specifics?!? Specifics that will cause lifetime Republicans like me to say, "Barack's got MY vote!!!"

Back to the upcoming democratic convention...Al Gore is still out there...As is Michael Bloomberg. I would love a Joe Biden/Barack Obama ticket with Obama as the Vice Presidential candidate...unless...Obama gets specific with plans and ideas that look like would be best for all of us instead of just some of us. In that case, I would love see a ticket of Obama/Biden.

A lot of things can happen between now and convention time, folks. A lot of things!

SCOTT McCLELLAN BLOWS THE WHISTLE!!!

I'm sure you've heard about this new book that was written by former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan that's titled, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."

I won't get the book until sometime next week, but like many of you, I've read a lot of excerpts from the book.

Two things.

(1) I believe what he's written. Much of what he's written, I've written about in my blogs.

(2) I wouldn't want to share a foxhole with Scott McClellan.

HOW 'BOUT DEM GAS PRICES?!?

No matter where you live here in the Los Angeles area, you won't pay less than something over $4 a gallon for Regular. And the price is going up daily! Along with food and so many other things. Meanwhile your salaries are frozen, reduced, or you have no salary at all because like a lot of folks, you don't have a job.

Isn't it long past time we understood that Saudi Arabia is not an "ally" of ours! Weren't all but one of the 9/11 hijackers from Saudi Arabia? And yet, President Bush was recently there, kissing their asses, promising high tech weaponry and getting nothing in the way of relief (oil price wise) from these turban headed jerks. I wasn't there, but I can imagine that after feeding President Bush some goat, they patted him on his head, asked when the new weapons would be arriving and sent him on his way.

IT'S LONG PAST TIME FOR US TO GO NUCLEAR AND START DIGGING!!!

No, I'm not advocating a "Nuke 'em" solution regarding the Saudis, but it's tempting when you build up a head of pissed off steam!

I'm talking about taking the bull by the horns and to seriously put into motion ways that we can tell the Saudis they can put their oil where the sun don't shine, becauuusssse...

We're gonna start building NUCLEAR plants...ANNND...We're gonna start drilling for oil from HERE! Oil in this here United States of America that we HAVEN'T drilled for because we've been led to believe it would wrong to do because of environmental reasons!

Let's see...We have two sets of reasons to consider.

(1) Environmental Reasons

(2) Survival Reasons

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG?

It figures to be a week from today (Wednesday, June 4) and I'll tell you what I think of two new reality shows on the E! Channel, "Denise Richards, It's Complicated" and "Living Lohan." I'll also tell you what I think of the new "Indiana Jones" film and I'll give you two observations about talk show host, Sean Hannity!

"If it WALKS like a duck and QUACKS like a duck, it's a...."

2008-05-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Damn DUCK, right?

Over and over again we're hearing from the Bush administration apologists that we're NOT in a RECESSION!!!

And then a bunch of so-called "recession examples" are thrown up in the air to (allegedly) PROVE that we're not in a recession.

Here's a test you can take for yourself.

Is there less money in your bank accounts than there used to be?

Are the balances on your credit cards higher than they used to be?

Are you using MORE credit cards than you used to use?

Are you spending more time between haircuts or any kind of hair appointments than you used to?

Are you buying less food than you used to?

Are you using less gas than you used to?

If you are lucky enough to HAVE a job, are you making less money than you used to?

If you're healthy enough to be ALLOWED to purchase HEALTH INSURANCE, can you AFFORD it?

Can you afford to take a vacation like you used to?

Can you afford to buy new clothes for your kids' new school year(s) like you used to?

That's ten questions for you to answer. I could have written more. What question or questions would YOU like to add to this list? Send 'em to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net.

But for now, answer the ten questions above. If your answer is, "YES!" to more than four of these questions, WE'RE IN A RECESSION! If your answer is, "YES!" to more than seven of these questions, we're dangerously close to being in a DE-PRESSION!

For you see, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and floats like a duck, IT'S A DAMN DUCK!!!

GAY MARRIAGE IS NOW LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA!!!

Are you in favor of gay marriage? Even though the California Supreme Court says gay marriage is now legal, people against this decision plan to put it on the ballot box with the idea of making gay marriage against the law if enough people vote that way.

Well, we here in California tried to do something at the ballot box about the terrible illegal immigration problem we had here many years ago (and still have) , but courts, backed by well meaning people who felt the law was "unnecessarily mean" partnered up with illegal immigration advocates and got the law overturned.

What part of ILLEGAL don't these people UNDERSTAND?!? I want to SCREAM it to the HEAVENS!!!

Back to gay marriage. I don't have a strong position on this, one way or the other. I do not believe that people choose to be gay! I believe they are born gay and like all humans, they are sexual beings who want to be loved. Because the man/woman marriage thing is so important to most religious groups, (and therefore, most people) my feeling is that the "civil union" option for gay people was a good option.

But let's go back to the "religious objection". People who are religious believe we all were created by an Almighty God. Because some people are "born gay", does that mean God made a mistake? And if so, if God is indeed "Almighty", don't you think this "mistake" would have been corrected by now?

So if "gay humans" are just another part of the "Master Plan" put together by an Almighty God, shouldn't "gay humans" have all of the same rights and privileges that "straight humans" have?

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

TELEVISION SHOW SEASON FINALE'S!!!

I thought the goodbye series finale episodes of "Shark" and "Women's Murder Club" were good episodes to go out on and I want to wish all of those talented actors much good luck in the future.

Did you see the season finale of "Desperate Housewives"? Wow, wow and WOW!!! When the show resumes in a few months, it will be "five years later". Will the blind guy have kids? Have the twins become serious criminals? And is the good looking plumber GONE for GOOD?!?

AMERICAN IDOL'S SEASON FINALE IS TONIGHT!!!

I know. The ratings have been down for "American Idol" this season. But they're still number one and number two each week because every other show has lost viewers as well. A lot of viewers. Is that because of the "writer's strike" or is it more because of modern technology? Technology that allows us to watch these shows whenever we want to by taping these shows. I mean, does anyone really believe that ratings services have figured out how to accurately count the amount of people who watch shows on a different night or day than the show or shows were shown on the networks?

Anyway, I saw every episode of "American Idol" this season and I enjoyed the shows.

Last night, the finals featured two guys named David. Throughout this season, I referred to them as "Young David" and "Older David".

Both of them sang three songs last night. I thought that Older David pretty much shot his wad on the first song he sang. Unfortunately for Older David, Younger David did the same thing and Younger David was better.

I thought Younger David was better on the second song than Older David and by the third song, I think both guys were pretty much out of steam.

I will be surprised if Younger David isn't declared the winner tonight, but those of us who have watched regularly know that we've been surprised before.

No matter what happens, for the entertainment we were given, I say, Bravo, Bravo, BRAVO!!!

THE NEXT BLOG?

Unless something unforseen comes up, a week from today. And you know that at least one of the subjects will be something that makes me say, "Whaaaat?!?"

Is America Willing To Elect A Black Man To Be President Of The United States?!?

2008-05-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

That's the big elephant in the room, isn't it?

I mean, this is THE question!!!

Is the United States of America prepared to be saying, "Sir!" to a black man?

And don't give me that crap about saying, "Sir!" to officers in the military. I was IN the military! In the military, you're forced to say, "Sir!" to all officers!

In the civilian world, you're not forced to say, "Sir!" to anyone!

But out of respect to/for the office, you do say, "Sir!" to the President of the United States.

Some Americans have never said, "Sir!" to a black man in this country. Never! And couldn't imagine doing it! In fact, I can think of a couple of nationally known talk show hosts who we could imagine wearing hoods and robes, but we couldn't imagine them saying, "Sir!" to a black man!

Barring chicanery even I can't imagine, Barack Obama will be the Democrats' nominee to be our next President of the United States. His opponent will be John McCain, a guy who used to be known as a "straight talker". For political reasons, a fork seems to have been carved into what used to be known as "The Straight Talk Express".

Do we want to stay in Iraq for a long time? Do we want to (maybe) "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran"? Do we want a president who admits he knows nothing about the economy? John McCain is definitely the guy for you.

And then there's Barack Obama. What do we know about him? I mean, we know about his former preacher. We know about a couple of things his wife has said. But what do we really know about Barack Obama except that he's black?

And we read polls suggesting that a lot of folks won't vote for Obama because he is black, something that continues to be subtly brought up again and again by Hillary Clinton and her hired assassins.

HERE'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN!!!

Let's have some debates, sooner rather later between Obama and McCain. Debates that don't include "distraction" type topics like who their preachers are, what they're wives have said or done, flags on their lapels or how old one of the candidates is.

For the record, neither one of these candidates could have picked worse preachers if they were drunk or stoned when they picked 'em. And what I mean by "worse" is, both preachers say things that are easy to take out of context and when you're running for the highest office in the land, out of context stuff becomes "headline" material.

Same deal with their wives. Mrs. Obama has said things that makes folks say, "Whaaaat?" and Mrs. McCain won't make her tax returns public which makes other folks say, "Whaaaat?"

ENOUGH!!!

No more preacher talk, no more wife talk, no more Muslim talk (he's a Christian) and no more age talk.

IN CASE YOU HADN'T NOTICED, OUR COUNTRY HAS SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS TO DEAL WITH!!!

What we need to know from both of these candidates is what sorts of plans they have regarding all this money we continue to borrow from other countries (especially China) and what would these candidates do as president if (for example) China decided they wanted to be paid? Not mumbo jumbo answers. Specifics!!!

What do both of these candidates plan to do about the skyrocketing costs of health care? Not mumbo jumbo answers. Specifics!!!

What do both of these candidates plan do about the skyrocketing costs of fuel, especially gasoline? Not mumbo jumbo answers. Specifics!!!

What do both of these candidates plan to do about this lousy economy? We're in a recession and if we're not careful, we're going to be in a de-pression!!! Not mumbo jumbo answers. Specifics!!!

What do both of these candidates plan to do about Iraq? Not mumbo jumbo answers. Specifics!!!

And speaking of Iraq...What do both of these candidates think the reason we're in Iraq is? Not a mumbo jumbo answer. I mean, the real reason or real reas-ons!!!

Does either candidate think we can go into another country with our military and force that country to change their ways of doing things politically if the people in that country don't really have the will to do that? No mumbo jumbo allowed. Answer or answers with specifics!!!

SEE WHAT I MEAN?!?

That just some of the questions these candidates should be asked. And when we get the answers to these and other important questions?

Then (if we're honest) we can decide who has the best ideas on how to make a better America for all of us as opposed to just some of us! And if that candidate happens to be the BLACK candidate?

Well, in that case, the way we vote will tell us all we need to know about ourselves.

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

TWO FILMS WORTH WATCHING!!!

I want to mention two films that starred Ellen Page.

Showtime is showing a first-run film that was a big winner at Sundance but it couldn't get a distributorship deal because of the film's content. "An American Crime" is based on the true story of what happened to a child in the 60's. A child that was left to be cared for with a whack job by the child's parents who were going to another city to work for awhile. The whack job is played by Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener and the child is played by Academy Award nominee Ellen Page. What the Page character goes through is rougher than rough and the pain she suffers is at the hands of many who are led on by the Keener character. I predict Emmy nominations for both actors.

The second film is "Smart People" a film that is still playing in theaters across the country. It stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Quaid, Thomas Hayden Church and Ellen Page.

"Smart People" was to me, a "smart film". It's not for everyone, but I liked it. A lot! I think that Thomas Hayden Church "stole" the film with his performance, but Ellen Page continued a pattern of being terrific in everything she does. I think that Ellen Page is the finest young actor on the planet. Sarah Jessica Parker and Dennis Quaid were also very good in "Smart People".

GOODBYE TO THREE GOOD TELEVISION SHOWS!!!

News about cancellations and additions to the new television schedule have been announced and three personal favorites of mine won't be coming back. "October Road", "Shark" and "Women's Murder Club".

AND SPEAKING OF TELEVISION SHOWS...

Did you see the season finale of "Brothers & Sisters" this past Sunday night? I have seen every episode of "Brothers & Sisters". If you haven't seen it, this is a show about the most relatable (in it's own special way) and sometimes dysfunctional family in the world. It has an all-star cast that's headlined by multiple Oscar winner Sally Field. This past Sunday's episode left us fans with more than one cliffhanger to contemplate.

I said (wrote) it after last season's cliffhanger was shown and I'll say (write) it again; "Brothers & Sisters" is the BEST show on TELEVISION!!!

THE FINAL THREE ON AMERICAN IDOL!!!

We're this close to having a new American Idol! After tonight, only two contestants will remain. Last night, all three contestants sang three songs. A song the judges picked, a song the producers picked and a song that the contestants picked. It turns out that the worst choices might have been by the contestants themselves. A classic case of (perhaps) being too close to themselves to know what's best for themselves. The best choices appeared to have been made by the judges, especially Simon's choice of having Older David sing, "First Time I Ever Saw Your Face", a song made famous by Roberta Flack.

To me, that was the hands down best performance of the night.

No doubt about it. Syesha is a hot babe who can sing. A hot babe who appears to have gotten hotter in recent weeks and a better singer in recent weeks. Her rendition of "Fever" last night gave Syesha a chance to display her hot and sexy charms, but the song itself didn't serve Syesha well singing wise.

I thought the two songs that Young David didn't pick (or his controlling dad didn't pick) were pretty good and that means I think we'll probably be saying goodbye to Syesha tonight. Buuuut...We've had a lot of surprises this season, so if Syesha isn't eliminated, it would be goodbye to Young or Old DAVID?!?

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG?

Unless something unforseen comes up, a week from today. And you know that at least one of the subjects will be something that makes me say, "Whaaaat?!?"

Our so-called political "LEADERS" and other "bleeding hearts" SUPPORT tax money to benefit ILLEGALS, but are SILENT when it comes to the FILM INDUSTRY

2008-05-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Illegal immigration! We have a Mayor, a City Council and an editorial board on the Los Angeles Times who seem to think that the tremendous amount of illegals we have here is not that big of a problem. Aside from the fact that these people are first and foremost, lawbreakers, we hear and read over and over again about how we couldn't survive without all these lawbreakers. Lawbreakers who, in fact, are simply here because they want to feed their families. And they're here because they want to be a part of the "American Dream".

Uh, huh!

We had an immigration rally in this city a week or so ago. Anyone marching, cheering or somehow participating in that rally seemed to be perfectly okay with the sight of Mexican flags that were flying in this rally and all the Spanish that was being spoken by people who say they can't speak English.

Question: I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I'm not the brightest bulb in the room, so I need to have something explained to me. What part of the "American Dream" involves the flying of Mexican flags and the inability to speak English?

An inability that has caused politicians and bleeding heart types to mandate that we have plenty of legal American citizens working at places like hospitals, welfare and Social Security offices who speak Spanish and other languages (other than English) so that these illegal citizens can have someone to talk to about "benefits" they get. Benefits that are paid for by legal American citizens.

You know, benefits like free medical care, free schooling, etc., etc.

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN...The reason people like me are so pissed off about having all these illegals in our midst has absolutely NOTHING to do with racism or hating Mexicans, Asians, Muslims, whatever. It's because we have too many people here NOW!!! The economy is lousy, it's getting worse and the LAST thing we need is a bunch of people who are here ILLEGALLY who contribute nothing but cheap labor that drives down salaries for LEGAL American citizens and who constantly use up much needed tax dollars for themselves and force us to hire people who can COMMUNICATE with them.

"AMERICAN DREAM?!?" For those of us who are here legally, it's becoming an "AMERICAN NIGHTMARE!!!"

For those of you who have read my blogs before, you know this is isn't the first time I've expressed my concern/anger regarding the way too many people look the other way when it involves illegal immigrants.

The reason I'm prompted to bring it up again is because of "PRIORITIES"!!!

Our leaders have made it a priority to (seemingly) bend over backwards for people who are here ILLEGALLY, but when it comes to looking out for an industry that IS Los Angeles/Hollywood and therefore is very important to CALIFORNIA, nothing is being done (tax incentive wise) to keep TELEVISION and FILMMAKERS HERE!!! I bring this up because the ABC network has decided to move the show, "Ugly Betty" to New York by the 30th of June when they'll begin production of/on next season's shows. WHY?!? Because New York is offering a much better "tax credit" deal. CANADA offers a better deal and that's caused shows and films to be produced there instead of here. NEW MEXICO offers a better deal as does MICHIGAN, BULGARIA and who knows how many other countries and U.S. cities!

WE CAN'T COME UP WITH TAX INCENTIVES THAT WILL KEEP FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION HERE (IN HOLLYWOOD), but we CAN keep spending tax dollars on ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS and for foreign language speaking LEGAL American citizens hired to make life EASIER for illegal immigrants?!?

Oh, I can hear it now. Scott, you're being too simplistic with your argument. My answer to that is, "With all due respect, the argument that CATERS to illegal immigrants is "too simplistic!!!"

Whew! I feel so much better!

OTHER STUFF...

Can we all agree that we (as a country) are spending too much money? I mean, the President of the United States won't admit we're in a recession, but Warren Buffett says we are in a recession and have been for some time. I don't know about you, but I'll take my chances with with the Warren Buffet view.

Let's see...We have skyrocketing gas and food prices, lower salaries, high unemployment, a ton of foreclosures, millions of people without health care, and we look at where most of our tax dollars are going. Into a hole known as Iraq. And a smaller hole known as Afghanistan.

Billions upon billions upon TRILLIONS!!! And for WHAT?!?

Folks, I know that most folks are too scared to bring up what I'm about to bring up, buuuut...

ISN'T IT TIME WE TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE'RE SPENDING ON "NATIONAL DEFENSE"?!?

I mean, a GOOD look!!!

If someone took an HONEST look at the amount of our tax dollars that we allow to be spent on "National Defense" and then see the amount that's not only UNNECESSARY but that is also WASTED, I think we'd say, "WHAAAAT?!?".

Whadda ya say, gang! We're letting our country slip away from us. Isn't time we took it back?

THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER IS CREEPING UP ON US and that makes me think about the three people who want to be our new President of the United States. Hillary Clinton says she would have left that Church Barack Obama was a member of, Obama has (finally) disowned the comments made by his former reverend and John McCain hasn't said anything about Obama's minister because McCain has a minister in his recent past who believes in things that are every bit as eyebrow raising as Obama's former minister.

Will we still be talking about ministers up to the day of the election? I hope not. I hope that what these candidates eventually start talking about is what specifically they plan to do to make America be (again) for all Americans instead of for just some Americans!!

Speaking of Hillary...Isn't it interesting how she says over and over again that she would never have remained in a church presided over by a minister who said the things he said, but that she did stay with a husband who cheated on her more than once?

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

A FILM WORTH WATCHING!!!

I saw "Iron Man" a couple of days ago. Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard and Leslie Bibb were terrific in what is your classic "popcorn film". It is a film I can describe in one word; FUN!!!

And they've already decided to make a sequel!

THE FINAL FOUR ON AMERICAN IDOL!!!

It was Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night last night and each of the four singers chose two songs to sing.

Older David sang first and he was followed by Syesha, Jason and Younger David.

Here are what (to me) were the high and lowlights.

Older David was solid.

Syesha was sexy and hot while doing the Tina Turner version of "Proud Mary" and she was brought to tears when she talked about her second song, "A Change is Gonna Come", a song about the Civil Rights movement.

Jason's version of "I Shot the Sheriff was awful and he forgot some words on his second song, "Mr. Tambourine Man", but he didn't miss a beat and I thought it was a good "recovery". The judges disagreed.

Young David did an okay version of "Stand by Me" and a more than okay version of "Love Me Tender".

You never know about how the telephone callers will vote, but Jason should have been eliminated weeks ago. If he isn't eliminated tonight....Well, if he isn't eliminated tonight, then I have to believe he might have enough people out there willing to call enough times to make Jason the eventual winner!

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG?

Unless something unforseen comes up, a week from today. And you know that at least one of the subjects will be something that makes me say, "Whaaaat?!?"