Rachel Hoffman, NOT to be confused with the DailySkew's own Dr. Richard Hoffman
ABC and 20/20 asks "Are Pot Users Criminals?" I guess in this post-9/11 world we live in, that question seems valid to millions of people, kind of like "Are undocumented immigrants illegal?"
You see, the last time I checked drug use without a prescription was illegal.
I happened to catch this on 20/20 last night, after driving over [censored]. I thought this article was a good follow-up to your post on the ill-effects of smoking marijuana.
Here's my take: the 20/20 presentation makes it seem like a 1/4 lb of marijuana and six ecstacy pills is okay to have, and that the police were excessive in threatening her with felony charges -- even though she had been busted once and was on parole for a year!
The police chief looked extremely nervous, getting grilled on national television. On television, nervousness = incompetent liar.
Not being smooth on TV doesn't make you a liar or incompentent.
Everyone is blaming the police for sending her out on that botched sting. I agree that they come off as cops from Hazard County, BUT ... what about HER?
It's funny, when Brian Ross mentioned she was a College Graduate, he made it sound like it was the equivalent of being an Elementary School Graduate. "She's just a College Graduate."
Boy, how standards have fallen. Excuse me, but I'm not buyin'.
She was perfectly capable, as a 23-year-old ADULT, of calling her lawyer and getting legal advice. She was perfectly capable of reading whatever agreement she had signed, and seeing whether the deal to avoid jail-time was legit (assuming she even signed anything -- she's certainly smart enough to not just go with the word of a police officer from Leon County with no written documentation, as a College Graduate).
Instead, here we have another 23-year-old desperately hanging on to her teenage years, refusing to 1)grow up, 2)take responsibility for her actions, and 3)go to jail for four years.
She wanted a get out of jail free card. Well, she's not jail ... but if she had done what any sane, normal college educated person would have done, she would not have gone to some park alone to meet with two black men to buy drugs AND a gun. She would be alive today.
Excuse me, but I don't feel sorry for the purple-floppy-hat-girl. The police were jerks, but she had a choice -- she could have spoken with her lawyer. She could have read the agreement.
Lou Dobbs has been the voice of the Middle Class for years now, and I just wanted to give him some props here.
First, let me list what some of his critics are saying:
"Dobbs also systematically ignores or discounts the benefits of trade and outsourcing to the U.S. economy and workers. Free trade is a working family's best friend, delivering lower prices, more choice and better quality to shoppers by protecting them from potential domestic monopolies."
"Sadly, Lou Dobbs has become the Dan Rather of financial journalism. He thinks he knows the truth before actually investigating a story and he latches on to whatever documentation he can find, no matter how questionable, that seems to support his thesis."
"Dobbs has failed to present mounting and persistent evidence of anti-Hispanic racism in anti-immigration groups and citizen border patrols."
"Mr. Dobbs argues that the middle class has many enemies: corporate lobbyists, greedy executives, wimpy journalists, corrupt politicians. But none play a bigger role than illegal immigrants. As he sees it, they are stealing our jobs, depressing our wages and even endangering our lives."
"So Mr. Dobbs was flat-out wrong [about illegal immigrants carrying leprosy]. And when I spoke to him yesterday, he admitted as much, sort of. I read him Ms. Romans’s comment — the one with the word “suddenly” in it — and he replied, “I think that is wrong.” He then went on to say that as far as he was concerned, he had corrected the mistake by later broadcasting another report."
"On the air, he boomingly assails the upper management of corporate America for its “outrageous” greed, pay packages, and corruption, its opposition to increasing the minimum wage, its hiring of “illegal aliens,” its ties to “Communist China,” and its eagerness to send American jobs overseas."
" You might expect that sort of McCarthyesque description from Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh or some other famously right-wing provocateur on Fox or talk-radio. But Lou Dobbs, on CNN? Night after night, under the rousing headline "Broken Borders," the distinguished-looking 61-year-old instructs his growing audience that illegal immigrants import deadly diseases, rampant crime and international terrorism; they live off welfare, destroy public schools and burden hospitals; what's more, most haven't even learned to speak English. Dobbs declares, our lawmakers are doing nothing about it."
And now here's my take:
Dobbs is the one of the few well-known and members of the mainstream MEDIA that actually speaks up and holds journalists, news networks, corporations, government, and both parties accountable for their actions.
Yes, he's a populist. Yes, he's an Independent now. Yes, he is tired of the lies and scams. Yes, he's not buying McCain or Obama.
No, he's not a racist (I think his Hispanic wife would be shocked). He's just one of the few CNN anchors who dares to say the phrase "illegal aliens" instead of "undocumented immigrants". He, like me, believes that someone who is in a country unauthorized IS illegal, and needs to be deported.
Lou STEPS on toes every night because the Party Line says that outsourcing and China are GOOD.
Lou hates Democrats and Republicans now, so you can imagine how party members hate the fact that CNN gives him a lot of air time.
Lou has the LOOK of a distinguished conservative. He SOUNDS like an authority figure. He is mighty influential. And that pisses a LOT of people off- especially high-brow intellectual economists, who can't stand his populist views or ideas. Lou is neither left wing nor right wing, and the fact that he can only be labeled a "crusader for the Middle Class" enrages many commentators.
Lou wants a shake up for the U.S. He doesn't believe in L.M.E. (Lazy Man Ethics). I enjoy having Lou on in the background because his stories are made in a way that is accessible for mainstream audiences. When he rants and raves, people can take him a bit more seriously than some other very popular radio talk show hosts.
Lou attacked all the news networks, including his own CNN, for over-hyping Obamamania's International Tour (tm) while McCain's coverage when he went overseas was virtually non-existent. Lou said the reason was to increase rating and circulation (to make profit).
I was walking my dog after I got home from work and saw that a bunch of bees made a hive on my Columbian neighbors' lawn chair. My first instinct was to protect my dog from the bee stings, so I walked the other way. I was staring at the bees for so long, like a car wreck.
After my dog did her business, I went home and got my wife to take a look, and to take these copyrighted photos.
I saw the parking lot, both of my neighbors cars were not there, just their motorcyle was parked. No one was outside, so I don't know if anyone was home or not.
My wife suggested that we knock or leave a note, but we didn't.
I even joked that it would be funny if one of them sat on the lawn chair tonight.
So..why am I anti-social? Why did I not tell the neighbors about the bees right behind their house? Is it because they are immigrants that have 7 people, 2 dogs, and 2 babies living in one house? Is it because I'm shy? Is it because the bees aren't in my backyard? Is it because I don't want the bees to be disturbed because they may fly inside my home? Is it because they shouldn't have left their lawn chair out? After all I live in a townhouse community; none of us own the land and we shouldn't leave junk on it. Is it because their little dogs bark at my dog? Is it because I want to hear them scream when they sit on that chair tonight? Is it because I don't want them to spray water on the bees and kill them? Or is it because because they ALMOST KILLED MY DOG AND I BY LEAVING THAT STUPID CHAIR OUTSIDE, which is now a FREAKIN' BEE HIVE? My dog and I would have gotten STUNG TO DEATH if I wasn't so observant. SO...SCREW THEM. I HOPE THEY HAVE A BARBECUE TONIGHT.
Former WCW professional wrestler Disco Inferno was on Main Event Radio and had this to say about Internet message board fans:
All Internet wrestling fans are basically critics. You don't see a lot of praise online. Not even only wrestling forums, but you look at political forums, sports forums, any type of message boards and it just breathes a very negative atmosphere. I'm convinced that what people do is that they cut promos against each other. A message board or forum is a free way to go online and basically argue and cut promos on each other. The problem that I have is that some of the ideas that people talk about online have a snowball effect and so many people start writing about them that they become fact. To me, they become erroneous facts.
The fact is...he's right. I have a lot of hobbies (probably too many), and every time I go on a message board forum or blog (including my own), I see some similar themes and patterns:
1) There are apologists and bootlickers who support the website administration. 2) There are posters full of hate, anger, and frustration. 3) They usually get into illogical "SHOUTING" debates with the apologists. 4) No one actually wins these "arguments". 5) The "facts" are all wrong, and generally change as you keep reading a thread. 6) Tony Vahl and Damian Hospital believe that most of the posters are sock puppets. 7) Being anonymous is an addictive feeling, and leads to people to be impolite, sarcastic, and mean. The person that rants, raves, and is "confrontational" online is teh same geek that can't even look at you straight in the eye in real life. 8) Having an "online identity" HAS to be hazardous to one's health. 9) The atmosphere is extremely negative. 10) If there is a positive thing about message boards, it's that they easily unravel scams and tear apart conventional or mainstream thinking: NOTHING and NO ONE is sacred from criticism. Although most of the time, it is unwarranted, occasionally it can be very helpful. 11) Another positive aspect is that people with similar interests can swap information and get questioned answered very quickly, and it's a great place for like minds to stroke each other's ego. However, back in my day, people did this in "real life". We as a society are headed down the road (or may already be there) where human interact becomes secondary.
Man can't ride airplane wearing TRANSFORMERS T-Shirt (Megatron)
A security guard at a London airport threatened to arrest Brad Jayakody for wearing a Transformers T-shirt featuring Megatron because of the gun.
Why does riding an airplane entail suspension of civil rights? Seriously. Was he stopped because he wasn't a WHITE Englishman? Do airport security guards take their jobs too seriously? Are they afraid to get fired if someone was "offended" by this man's cartoon robot shirt? The Transformers are a WORLD-WIDE phenomena, this t-shirt did not have some obscure character on it.
Who CARES if a passenger would be offended? Sounds like this guy was being singled out. He should sue.
Houses have been ransacked by fake craigslist ads. Basically, a post said "Come and take all of my property". So dozens of people came (with the printed ad as "proof" and STOLE everything (including a horse), and vandalized.
A Walmart employee was covered by their medical insurance. She was hit by a truck, and it crippled her and took away her ability to remember things and walk. She was awarded $1,000,000 from the trucking company. Her lawyers and courts charged her $583,000. $417,000 was put in a trust for her health care.
Wal-Mart paid out about $470,000 for Shank's medical expenses and sued HER for the same amount. The courts ruled that Wal-Mart IS entitled to whatever she had left in her trust fund. Her family appealed, and LOST again.
The fine print of Wal-Mart's health plan policy says that the company has the right to recoup medical expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit.
Her short-term memory causes her to relive her 18-year old son's death in the war in Iraq everytime she asks for him, and someone tells her.
She is bound to a wheel chair and lives in a nursing home.
She has $277,000 left, and the U.S. Courts will force her to give it to Wal-Mart.
In 2007, Wal-Mart reported net sales in the third quarter of $90 billion
Yet another craigslist crime was busted. This time, an enraged wife named Ann Marie Linscott was arrested for posting a classified advertisement for a hitman to assassinate her husband's mistress.
And once again, craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster (CEO of what??? All he does is host a message board and sell t-shirts) responds to another craigslist crime via E-MAIL and says:
"Out of 550 million classified ads posted over 12 years, this is the first such incident that we're aware of. But again, the ad itself was generic, and we're not a party to subsequent private e-mail communications."
Founder Craig Newmark was not reached for comment.
In other craigslist news, police have arrested a man pretending to be a jewelry broker, who has been writing bad checks to scan thousands from sellers. Remember, craigslist doesn't have any affiliations with PayPal to secure any transaction.
In Ohio, police responded to 4 ads, and busted prostitutes, who also had drugs on them. One of the escort's drivers, told police some inside information: he said that the woman charged $200, and gave him 2/3 of the cash, which he split with "someone else". So, this woman- who is like a slave- only made $68.
A group of teens in Queens and Long Island, NY posted ads pretending to sell cars for tens of thousands of dollars. When potential buyers went to meet them with the money and to pick up the car, they were robbed.
Recently, someone posted a woman's name, and phone number of craigslist, and pretended she was a prostitute on a fake craigslist post. She was not- she was an ordinary citizen. She had to get her telephone number changed because men would call her at all hours of the night looking for sex.
So...what can you do to stop craigslist?
1) Quit defending it. Quit acting like regulation is undemocratic or fascist. craigslist has shown that this type of free, unregulated, anonymous system is too powerful in the hands of the people. craigslist should have mandatory registered e-mails, PayPal, fees for posting ANY ad, NO sex ads, and complete moderation. Quit calling Damian Hospital and Tony Vahl anti-Americans for wanting to protect YOU, your family, and children from the horrors of craigslist.
2) Get the facts, and spread the word, and boycott craigslist. <---That site is against human trafficking and child slavery, which runs rampant on craigslist. (Keep in mind, I only tackled U.S. craigslist. Each country has it's OWN craigslist problems.)
3) Understand when the craigslist founders donate to charity, they report it to the MEDIA so all the good craigslist does comes up in the search engines. The donations help with craigslist's positive PR. But local law enforcement knows all about craigslist.
By now, everyone knows about the controversy with the Golf Channel personality (and friend of Tiger Woods) named Kelly Tilghman. In response to her co-anchor's joke that younger players should "gang up" on Tiger Woods during the golf tournament, Tilghman said that they ought to "Lynch him in a back alley". She was innocently laughing during the exchange, and Woods' agent was said he didn't think there was any ill intent.
MEANWHILE, the so-called Rev. Al Sharpton starting making his protests and demands, like he speaks for the black community. Anyone who lived in New York during the 1980's knowns that Sharpton is a fraud, self-promoter, and should be working in the WWE.
So, thanks to the MEDIA, Tighman had to be suspended for two weeks.
Dave Seanor, editor of Golfweek, wanted to use a cover to draw attraction about this controversial story, about how the Golf Channel got "caught in a noose". There was a debate, but he decided to go with the noose. He needed to meet a deadline and forgot to run the final copy by his boss.
Well, once again, thanks the MEDIA and PGA, Golfweek fired Seanor.
If all of this sounds ridiculously oversensitive, politically correct, and bowing to the perception that advertisers would pull from their products, you are correct.
Look-
Kelly Tilghman made a bad joke.
Tiger wasn't offended.
Is there any evidence that black viewers were offended? I mean, did the Golf Channel get phone calls, e-mails, or letters from blacks demanding justice? I doubt it. But the MEDIA ran with it, like it was a big thing. Same with the Golf Weekly magazine cover.
No one speaks for "the black community", especially a scammer like Al Sharpton. Dave Chappelle is more in touch with "the black community" than Sharpton.
What is "the black community" anyway?
Offending blacks (or any other group) is the least concern of the Golf Channel- advertisers are. Let's face it, advertising and commercials make the world go 'round.
Thanks to the MEDIA saying the Golf Channel employs a racist, the Golf Channel had to act to show the advertisers that they respect all demographics. This is all about money. As Batman asked in Identity Crisis, "Who benefits?"
Now, is there anything wrong with bowing to advertisers? NO, of course not! But let's just be honest here. IF...IF an advertiser called the Golf Channel and said, "I'm pulling my commercial now" the Golf Channel should have told the MEDIA that. But I doubt any golf advertiser would pull their sponsorship on the GOLF Channel!!
Now the MEDIA doesn't agree with the suspension even though they CAUSED it! You can never please the MEDIA. The just want a STORY and a SPIN to make money on advertising, too!
As far as the magazine editor getting fired for reporting this event, this whole saga is one sick, sad parody!!! Many WHITE "journalists" like to jump on the bandwagon and say how the noose symbolizes the KKK and racism, and that a noose should never be on a golf magazine, since golf has been a racist "sport" for years. Read the freakin' byline on the cover- in what way is the magazine promoting or endorsing racism? What if TIME magazine ran a cover with a swastika with the byline "Is Nazism dead?" It's just a STORY with a visual image for you to buy the magazine!
TONY VAHL SAYS:
More political correctness run amock. More lies.
It's obvious that the PGA Tour pressured Golfweek to fire their editor, even though they claim they wouldn't pull advertising. What. No one is allowed to cover the PGA in a critical manner? Are they ashamed of the country club racism that only recently has begun to go away? I guess they don't want too many reporters investigating Augusta National in Georgia!
And the announcer on the Golf Channel should not have been suspended for two weeks. The MEDIA give Al Sharpton the power he has, and viewers of said MEDIA.
I went to elementary school, junior high school, and day camp in New York, and my friends were pretty bright and intelligent.
I probably think about them way more than they think of me. I guess I always had a curiosity about how they turned out. I've made contact with a few of them over the years, through various classmates websites, but one thing which I am surprised about is that I'm the only one with a blog. Am I the only one from P.S. 251 Paedergat, Roy H. Mann (I-78), or Broad Channel Day Camp who knows how to use a search engine or blog? I also am amazed that none of these New York schools have official websites. You'd THINK a school intranet or public website would make things so much easier in terms of homework, curriculum, test scores, etc.
I guess the even more pathetic part is that the ones whom I did make contact with (and the few that found me) don't follow up or reply to my e-mail!
Am I attached to the past? Yeah, because as DailySkew poster CCB3 will testify to, seeing the world through the eyes of child hearkens one back to an age of innocence, and a time when there were no worries, and every movie, cartoon, toy, NY baseball player, pro wrestler (which we thought was "real" back then) and comic book RULED! Heck, a child of the 1980's should have certain connection to one another.
remember my previous comments about chavez,politicians and supporting the candidate that serves YOUR needs.well,it's hypocrite time.if bush grants the $800 tax rebate for me and $1600 for you and belle,he may be bumbling,brash,impulsive,stubborn and inarticulate,but long live bush!viva la bush!after i deposit my check in the bank,then i will immediately call for his impeachment.that's politics folks.
DAMIAN HOSPITAL says:
I'll take it! You know I support measures to boost our stagnant economy. I'm sure Tony Vahl is happy as well. Any economic theorists out there who do NOT support this tax rebate are too rich ANYWAY. Is there a better way? Who cares? All of this is a snapshot anyway. We'll gladly take $800 each.
To: Numbersix@dailyskew From: jorgeizcierda@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: f___ you
hey ______ i dunt appesiate u writin all that _____ about me, esocilly since u dunt had any fax true. hear is what happen:
my cousin gave me the checks to cash at my banc,it only take me a few minute to cash out the checks.i have close to 7000 dollars. i drove to my restuant businees to tell my boss somethin.i only leave my car for 2 minutues.i come out next thing i know the cash, my passport, and my driver lisense all stolen. u have no idea how much truble i am in now.i call the policia they tell me there had a witness who saw a black car pull up next to mines and go in my car and walk awat with something then drive off.i am no drug dealer i was successful and respect busineesmans in venezeula now i come to america mywife divorce me my busineess partenr screw me out of 20,000 dollars i work at tashman and they fire me even though i do a good job now i try to work for restaurrant and this waht happen to me. hey ____ go _____ yurself you ____ _____ and _____ everyone who say i am drug drug dealer you ___ dunt no nothing you sorry piece of ____ ____. u better tell the turh to everyone_____
_______ Jorge
Okay, Jorge, let's see the plot holes or suspect info in your story:
#1- Why couldn't your "cousin" cash his own checks? #2- Is he legal? #3- Is this money legal? #4 -Is this money being reported to the IRS? #5- Is your cousin here in the U.S.? #6- Can you prove that you even have a cousin? #7- When were you going to deliver this money to him? #8- Why did you go to the restaurant? #9- Did you see anyone follow you? #10- Why did you leave the doors to your car unlocked? #11- Why did you leave your passport and driver's license in your car, and not in your wallet? #12- What was so important at the restaurant where you left that much cash in the car? #13- What did the police say? #14- What did your cousin say?
You are stuck in a big lie now, Jorge. How long did it take you to come up with this story? This story is so bad, I have no idea if there really was $6,500 and you are desperate and stupid enough to believe that the police will find and give you that money. Or perhaps you double-crossed someone and kept the money for yourself. Or, as others commented, perhaps you really are a drug dealer who got robbed. But even if your story is true, there is one thing about it that is true: law-abiding legal citizens don't cash out that money and leave it in their unlocked car. I guess since your passport was stolen, you have no visa anymore either, and no ID card to prove your residency. How convenient.
Well, it's official. As Tony Vahl and I already knew- everyone can be tempted to use HGH or steroids regardless of profession. In today's world, image is everything, and people will do whatever it takes to make a profit, stay ahead, or make things a level playing field.
These rappers- 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Wycleaf Jean, Timbaland- who have allegedly buying steroids or HGH (they, of course, are denying it) are doing EXACTLY what the majority of people would do.
Don't you get it yet? Body building competitions, pro wrestling, the Olympics, boxing, bicycle racing, marathon running, football, baseball, the music industry, Hollywood actors, and EVERY industry that is competitive will have people taking performance enhancers. It's just a fact of life, okay? If you girlfriend gets breast implants, are you going to take her records away? If you are a struggling salesman wouldn't you think about taking an illegal drug to increase your performance, especially since 90% of your co-workers are?
Yet another fatal car crash occurred this weekend, as Roger Avary, who is a Hollywood screenwriter and producer was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence after a passenger, Andreas Zedini, in his car died. Roger's wife was injured in the car wreck, as well.
Roger Avary is best known for his work with Pulp Fiction, although it is disputed how much work he actually contributed to it. He most recently co-produced Beowulf.
Once again, it's amazing how people think they can drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and believe that they can get home in one piece. Once again, another life is lost. I mean, look, Roger Avary and Jim Leyritz have money to hire a cab or get a designated driver, but they chose not to. You would think harsher penalties would exist or some other method we can use to "encourage" people to not DWI.
I watched one of my favorite VCR tapes with my family yesterday: Pinstripe Dynasty, which featured the 1996 New York Yankees championship year.
Of course, one key moment of the season was when Jim Leyritz hit the go-ahead homerun in Game 4's 8th inning of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves. The Yanks were trailing 6-0 in that game, after Yanks' starting pitcher Kenny Rogers got knocked out early.
Talk about a lifestyle that just catches up with you. After earning around $11,000,000 in his career, he has around $600,000 left, and is facing a prison sentence for DUI manslaughter here in sunny Fort Liquordale.
The MEDIA never reported what went on behind the scenes:
And your co-workers and friends always like to say that we shouldn't judge their lifestyles. They like to believe that their reckless actions featuring drugs, alcohol, and sex with numerous partners don't have any consequences. They think all of those things happen in the vacuum called "Friday and Saturday night". They are wrong, and always will be wrong.
Accidents happen, there is no question about that. But getting behind a wheel of a car stoned or intoxicated is dangerous to other people who are not involved in your crazy life.
Jimmy Leyritz, let's face facts, you were a backup player and pinch hitter for your entire career, even though you wanted to be starter. You had a couple of lucky high-profile hits. But you were a trouble-maker for all of your 11 years, squandered away your fortune, used performance enhancing drugs (HGH or steroids) and never admitted it until AFTER you retired, openly lashed into your former teammates and organization at any opportunity you got, and effectively ended your own life by taking the life of a fellow driver on the road.
I just tuned into CNN and watched grown adults jump into a lake and swim a few yards ... it was some kind of polar bear competition. They cut open a part of a frozen lake, and the "Brave" jumped in.
I watched men and women jump in. One guy was disoriented, and couldn't figure out which way to swim. A woman in a black one-piece swimsuit looked like she had overcome a personal fear while swimming. Another man swam manically, arms pumping furiously with a mind over matter attitude. Some guy with a hook pulled people out before they froze to death.
As a former conservative-turned-porn star, I feel I have a unique perspective on things like this. You see, our current generation is vain ... narcissistic ... and voyeuristic. I'm not condemning this ... after years of fighting it, I decided to embrace it! I said, "Screw it!" literally and figuratively.
I don't have a problem with narcissism and voyeurism. I think it's great ... it's the age we live in. Future generations will look back and be jealous of our freedom ... our lack of inhibitions ... our willingness to exhibit and experiment and live!
We live in an age where a wannabe pundit can have a voice on youtube ... where musicians can gain recognition simply by recording music on their home computer and posting it on the web ... where bloggers earn advertising revenue for writing stories about their cat.
I hear conservatives cry, like the bleating of sheep, at what has happened. I say they need to get a CL tryst going and get over it. Get a Myspace page and dream of Tila Tequila. Get a loan on Prosper. Network on Facebook. Read MSN and Drudge.
DAMIAN SAYS: Wow, that was a mind-trip. Thanks for the contribution. Although I don't agree with everything you said, I do think it's time the Old Guard (let it be Old Media, Conservatives, etc.) As long as Young Republicans and Democrats are around, the Old Guard will get phased out over time. It truly is a brave new era we live in today. All of this will seem normal to our children. By the way, for those who don't know, NPD = Narcissist Personality Disorder
Clemens was accused in the recently released Mitchell Report on steroid use in Major League Baseball of having been injected with steroids and human growth hormone 16 times from 1998-2001 by his trainer, Brian McNamee.
When asked by Wallace if McNamee had ever injected him with any drugs, Clemens responded, according to the release: "Lidocaine and B-12. It's for my joints, and B-12 I still take today."
Clemens then calls the accusation that he used steroids or HGH "ridiculous" and says he "never" used any banned substances.
"Swear?" asks Wallace.
"Swear," says Clemens.
For those of you who don't know, 60 Minutes is a taped show, and Roger Clemens was interviewed today, which will air on Sunday.
Please keep in mind- steroid use doesn't mean jack to me. The frustrating part is that Roger just won't admit he did it, and Roger has a history of being one of the biggest conceited and violent jerks in baseball.
Let's pretend for moment that you were a baseball player who took [vitamin] B-12 and Lidocaine [a pain-killer] injections (perfectly legal). Wouldn't you have TOLD Senator Mitchell and MLB's investigators when questioned originally? Wouldn't you have told the MEDIA this last month when your name came up as taking illegal substances such as HGH and steroids?
If you follow Roger's logic, and use the details from the Mitchell Report this is the logical extension of his lies: ~~Roger told his trainer that the substance he was shooting him with was steroids, not B-12 I guess so he wouldn't look like a pansy? Roger also knew the feds would be after him in the future.~~
Uh-huh.
Does that make any sense?? There is no need to be neutral or give Roger the benefit of a doubt. Those who have followed his career know his history:
He asked his manager to come out of a 1986 World Series game, which the Mets eventually won.
He was ejected in the 1st inning of a 1990 playoffs game for continuing to yell at an umpire, costing his team the win.
He is known as a HEAD-HUNTER in the game (a pitcher who aims for the head).
He twice attempted to murder Future Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza- once with a head beaning, and once with a bat.
He and his agents have always gotten the highest contracts and endorsements, and always played things on HIS terms, not the team's. His ego and cockiness are LEGENDARY. He scammed the Yanks out of millions last year, and then left a playoff game injured.
The guy is a businessman who like to keep his fake image intact all the time, like Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, and The Realtor.
The bottom line is Clemens and this trainer were TIGHT. Real TIGHT. Clemens got this guy a job with the Yanks, after he was traded from the Blue Jays. They remained TIGHT until last year. Roger's best buddy Andy Pettitte already confessed his sin with this trainer, yet Roger doesn't make any apologies- he never had or never will.
Roger's hand-held palm-pilot looks something like this:
-Get up at 4:30 AM and jog 15 miles - Do 100 sit-ups - Eat a hardy breakfast - Call my agent - Call my attorney - Have the kids do chores - Lie to my wife - Lie to the MEDIA - Lie to my fans - Check on new restaurant - Give a speech at a local school about staying off of drugs - Leave Andy Pettitte another message telling him he's a pansy for telling the truth - Do another 100 sit-ups - Check bank account to see if royalty checks from Cingular are still coming in - Meet that Brazilian stripper that keeps calling my cell - Hint to MEDIA that I'm coming out of retirement again - Pay a visit to my restaurant and give a pep talk to the lowly workers - Sign an autograph for a kid, as long as his dad takes a picture, and puts it on myspace.com - Do another 100 sit-ups - Hunt some animals in Texas with some old fishing buddies - Attend celebrity gold tournament - Perform another 100 sit-ups on the gold course
I had to break out the sweatshirts, hoods, gloves, winter blankets, wool hats, scarfs, and whatever else I can get.
I mean I read and see that the rest of the country has snow and ice, but you really can't appreciate it until it happens to you.
Boy it's tough to even walk to the car in the morning.
And getting out of the car to run into the office- even though it's only 50 feet away, it's still quite an adventure. I feel like one of those explorers that climbs Mount Everest.
I mean, Tuesday it was 80 degrees, and the next thing I know it dropped down to 50 degrees, and right now it's only 41 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida! It is freezing here!
So for the rest of the country- you have my sympathy!
Here's a shot of South Florida RIGHT NOW, showing the conditions we have to deal with:
My grandmother played the role of the Dream Seeker tonight by saying a key phrase that made me remember a great dream that I had forgotten this morning! Thank you, Grandma!
Here it is- one of those REALISTIC dreams that are scary:
The setting- NOW (literally- the Friday before New Years). The employees: Current Tashman roster
The C.E.O. of Tashman Technologies made an announcement in the morning: today was the last issue! End of an era! Done! Final episode! Not even one day's notice! He's closing up shop by 3 pm, so we are to finish whatever work we are doing, and clean our desks up!
My main worry was that we had a few in-house jobs! How are we supposed to finish them? How cocky is it to call them up and say, "C.E.O.'s retiring, so we can't finish your project"????
So I asked Christina, if it was official, or will a skeleton crew hang around and finish these projects. I never got a good answer. All I know is that I felt that my whole life was turned upside down, and as soon as the countdown to 3:00PM occurred, I had to move on with my life. I told my wife about the situation, and acted brave, and felt ready.
Former Yankees World Champion Jim Leyritz (backup catcher) killed Fredia Ann Veitch, who was an ordinary citizen like you and I, working night shift. He was DUI, and he drove his car fast and blew threw a red light down here in Broward County (she was driving home from Fort Lauderdale to Plantation.)
I've followed Leyritz's career since he came up in 1990. I thought he was a great hitting catcher, pinch-hitter, and part-time designated hitter for the Yanks. But according to many baseball history books and autobiograpies I have read, he dubbed himself "King" and wanted to be a full-time player. Eventually, managers Buck Showalter and later Joe Torre grew to dislike Jim.
Jim is highly charismatic, cocky, arrogant, and a joker. Quite honestyly, if he was an African-American player, he would have been labeled a "clubhouse cancer" in 1990. Instead, the MEDIA always referred to him as "clutch", a "New York Icon", and "scrappy". Nice double-standard. The MEDIA and announcers never told us the bad things about "The King", so fans such as myself and my family couldn't help but like him, and awe at his sheer "determination". After Jim finally retired after making a few failed comebacks (and bouncing from team to team) he got an announcing gig for MLB.com, and still continued to give quotes to radio shows and newspapers to run is mouth off. See, Jim was bitter and was opinionated about a lot of things. He'd like to say things against his former teammates and managers.
He also said he admitting taking HGH or steroids during his great 1995/1996 clutch pinch-hitting campaigns, in which he saved the Yankees' post-season dreams. He also admitted being drunk a lot while playing. Unfortunately, his wild baseball antics spilled over into real life. Frieda Ann Veitch was a mother of two, just trying to make ends meat, by working in a steakhouse in Broward County. Her friends told her to switch her shift or to get another job; she was all set to switch- starting in the new year. So here is Frieda, driving home after a rough week, having never achieved the fame and fortune as Jimmy "The King" Leyritz. She goes through the green light, like you're supposed to, but here comes Jim blasting through the red light.
It's a shame that there are questions about if Jim will serve any prison time. I guess because he is a millionaire he can afford an attorney-at-law who will somehow get his client off with probation or timed served, even though he is guilty as sin.
For those of you who do not know about Broward County, Florida- it is one of the worst places to drive in the world. People like Jim Leyritz have taken over the roads and highways. That's why I'm at home bloggin', folks.
Why it's hard for an American to maintain health...
"I'm fat, I'm fat, you know it!"
You cannot argue that obesity and heart disease are major problems in the modern world. Sure, you can claim people have always been fat and always dying from heart attacks if you're being snarky. But the bottom line is that the United States has reached all-time high obesity levels.
Here are my observations as to why this epidemic is happening:
The United States and many other technologically advanced countries in the Western Hemisphere promote a sedentary lifestyle, which means we truly are like Homer Simpson. We take our cars everywhere instead of walking- because we think we "need" to go to a certain store. If we truly "need" to go to a certain store which is in walking distance, the majority of people still take the car because it's quicker. You see, people are always "busy". We are a remote control, cordless phone, stare at a flat screen for 4 hours a night, make-money-while-sitting-in-front-of-the-computer-in-your-underwear society and we are proud of it. It's a shame humanity as devolved into sedentary corals. We sit all day in our offices, and then get too "tired" to exercise at home. It's against our genetic evolution! You can have any diet you want, but the lack of exercise will make you susceptible to getting sick, injured, and obese. This lack of exercise is caused by laziness, the Western view that you have to be productive doing other things besides taking care of yourself, the technological advances that make things easier for us in the short-term, but not long-term, and the instant gratification and "control" of our "needs".
It doesn't help that the major supermarket chains sell food that is truly unhealthy, or that fast-food is poison to our systems. Their marketing campaigns and MEDIA influence plant in it on our heads that all the foods you see at the supermarket are okay for you. The "journalist" who lectures how bad McDonalds is for our health then buys a Big Mac.
For those of you who are "too busy" to take care of yourselves, stop reading this, and do some sit-ups right now. Heck, it only takes 5 minutes to try and touch your toes in the morning when you wake up. Start stretching exercises first, so you don't become this:
There truly seems to be a first reaction consensus in the United States regarding Jamie Lynn (sister of Britney) Spears' pregnancy.
The MEDIA, bloggers, message board posters, your office mates, school mates, and your family members all seem to enjoy making fun of her, or make comments like "just like her sister" or "trailer park trash".
My perspective, however, is that she is only 16, and her boyfriend is 19, which makes it RAPE. She is a victim here. The fact that I have to defend this position (I can hear you groaning or laughing) demonstrates how this society is full of double-standards and ignorance.
You're stuck in an office for 8 hours or more all week. Such is the fate that has befallen millions of people in the world. Creative excuses are necessary, but when one runs out of creativity, boring excuses are still welcomed because they are can be so generic that your boss knows you couldn't be that dumb to make a lame lie.
Here's a list of excuses...
Beat the traffic
Haircut
Pick kids up from school
Internet is down
Weather's great for golf
The front office left for the day
pick up car from dealership
wife is pregnant, possibly in labor
gonna be late for my flight
kids are sick
I am sick
my mom is sick
my uncle died
old relative is dying
meet with accountant
waiting for cable/satellite guy
waiting for roofers
need to be at home for plumber
paperwork needs to be filed
court appearance
pay the Clerk of Court
Driver's license
pet needs to go to vet
explosive diarrhea
pick kids up from school
pay water bill
pick up family at airport
go to post office
oil change
physical therapy
allergies, those darn allergies...
no sleep previous night
getting divorced
house being foreclosed
Brought to you by Lazy Man's Ethics (tm) with a quick assist from DarkTruths.
1) Arrive late. Have an excuse ready- cold weather, rain, traffic, accident, and even the day of the week are all acceptable.
2) Turn your computer on.
3) While it boots, make yourself a cup a' coffee.
4) Take a dump in the bathroom.
5) Make small talk with some workers.
6) Sit down in front of your computer, sip your drink, open your work e-mail- but don't actually read them. Instead open and read your personal e-mail and your favorite Internet websites.
7) Make a few calls on your cell-phone to your spouse, parents, or friends.
8) Check out all the chain letters and videos from your personal e-mail.
9) If you have a side-business, be sure to be productive on it at this time.
10) Get ready to actually work on your job approximately 1 hour before you lunch break.
Brought to you by LMEnterprises (tm), a division of The Realty (tm) and partner with Tashman Technologies (tm) in the Dream Seeker Universe (tm) and Dailyskew(tm).
