MUCH A-DO ABOUT NOTHING......

So what is it with the American public? It seems like our national past time is creating heroes and idols just so we can watch them fall. Most recently golf legend Tiger Woods and American Idol sweetheart, Adam Lambert. Perhaps the standards we set for celebrates are way too high for anyone to live up to. I recently watched a series on The History Channel called World War II in HD. I can't begin to define how I felt after watching this extraordinary program but I can say this, after seeing what horrors and conditions these ordinary men and women had to endure, and what they accomplished, others pale in comparison as role models. They were truly the greatest generation. Yet they kept their silence and humility and came back to their ordinary lives to live out their days knowing they had stepped up to do what needed to be done. That is how all celebrity should be treated. Everyone is human, even the greatest of heroes and sometimes, someone will shine a little brighter because of a particular talent or situation..... a singer should be admired for their singing, an athlete for their athletic ability, a politician for their political beliefs, but beneath it all, they're only human and nothing else. If we don't start realizing this and redefine our definition of a hero, then there will never be another.

We Get You Babe...

Chastity Bono, the only child of 60's icons Sonny and Cher, recently began her long journey of gender change from a woman to a man. The courage and strength to make such a decision, most people cannot begin to understand. Hopefully, when all is said and done, Chastity, now Chaz, will be able to find peace and live a long, happy life. Now, that being said, I've just got to say I had a little problem with this whole story right from the beginning. Not because of the stigma that society might cast on those who decide to take such drastic steps to make things right but because of Cher and wondering how she must be feeling. Even though People.com reports that she's fine and will support Chaz's decision, one can't help but wonder what personal feelings she must be experiencing. Those of us who are old enough to remember The Sonny & Cher Show and the sweet little girl that obviously was the apple of her mother & father's eye, can't help but feel for Cher. No matter how loving and open minded a parent is, there has got to be some sense of sadness and loss when a child decides to under go gender change....I hope the community that has loved and supported Cher for so many years continues to do so, as well as Chaz, on the long journey that lies ahead.

THE THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED....

For anyone following the story of the Sudan Journalist arrested for wearing pants, (yes, for wearing pants) and who faced the possibility of being imprisoned and given 40 lashes, this particular story has had a happy ending. But what about those who don't make the headlines? What about those women who are persecuted every day in these sadistic, backwards countries? Where is the outrage from women's groups in this country, from the lesbian community, from the Obama administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? In the 21st Century, this behavior is unacceptable. You can call it whatever you want, religion, tradition, etc., but it is what it is.....a disgrace and this administration should be the first to stand up and make it publicly known that if this practice continues, this country will not tolerate it and sanctions should be implemented against those countries condoning such actions.

Hillary..Where art thou?

Six months into the Obama presidency, things seem to be going exactly as planned. Others may have bought this little love fest between Obama and Hillary but not me. I think our girl has a plan, and it seems to be going perfectly. The old adage, if you can't beat them, join them (then beat them) comes to play here, perfectly. After her defeat last year in the Democratic primary, and graceful concession, Hillary has been nothing short of a team player and loyal. She went beyond the call of duty to help Obama get elected, after all, what choice did she have. It was in the bag. The love fest that America and the media had with Obama guaranteed his election, after all in the world of political correctness, and rights to be wronged, black trumps gender. But I think we all knew that even though Obama played the center, we all knew he was a left wing socialist who would be Hell bent on pushing his agenda as quickly and as forceful as possible. But guess what, the honeymoon is over...the American people aren't buying it! They might like you Mr. President, but a majority of the people in this country, who probably voted for you, aren't ready to give up their ipods and iphones. We are shallow, we love "stuff" and don't want to share! We are however, generous and kind and will step up to the plate when necessary but don't force us to be generous, it takes all the fun out of it. So as America begins to tire of the "Chosen One", Hillary is doing what those of us who saw this scam for what it was a year ago are doing, waiting.....Even though Mrs. Clinton was appointed Secretary of State, this position has never been so down played like it has during this presidency. Such an important position, occupied by such an able candidate, could do nothing but help Obama, but as it helps Obama, it also helps Clinton, and Barack ain't having it. So my prediction is, Hillary is down, but not out. She'll play the good girl for about a year and keep a low profile...she'll then step down to "spend more time with her family" but sources will let it leak that she left because of a difference of opinions, putting her in good graces with the ever growing disgruntled American public. Obama's poll numbers are so bad in 2010, and the Republicans take back the Congress, they Democrats will probably be begging her to run for the nomination and this time the outcome is quite different. Hillary Clinton becomes the first female president of the United States...now there's something to celebrate!

TOP 10 THOUGHTS ON PALIN VS. LETTERMAN

10. I'm a loyal David Letterman viewer from way back, but lately, his politics have been showing and he's gotten a little "mean". Dave is at his best when he's acting silly with such skits as Stupid Pet Tricks or Kid Scientist.

9. Sarah Palin was upset, and rightfully so, but she needs to lighten up a little....let it go!
He crucified Hillary nightly and she took it like a man! But he never criticized Chelsea so he was way out of line.

8. Both should come together on some common ground....like they both like below zero cold temperatures, Letterman in his studio, Palin in Alaska.

7. Letterman "knocked" up his girlfriend of 26 years and waited 5 years to finally marry her in front of a justice of the Peace after getting stuck in the mud. He constantly makes light of his new wife and marriage while flirting with the likes of Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock. He has a lot to learn about how to treat women.

6. Letterman should have been more specific about which daughter he was joking about, but I think that was implied...still, Palin went a step too far by implying that Dave was a pedophile!

5. I think Dave has a crush on Sarah....he's like the little boy who sits behind the cute girl who doesn't notice him so he constantly taunts her by pulling her pigtails and spitballs.

4. I wouldn't mess with Palin...watch out Dave, I think she could kick your ass!

3. Is it just me, or is it just a coincidence that this whole controversy happens just around the time Dave is competing for the 11:30pm time slot against Conan?

2. There's no such thing as bad publicity....both will benefit from all the air time and media coverage.

1. Let the late night wars continue boys but watch out for Chelsea Lately on E Entertainment, nightly at 11:00pm... She's going to kick both your butts!

Is Perez Hilton the real "dumb bitch?"

Ok, maybe this isn't the popular position to take or the politically correct thing to say, especially being gay myself, but I can't stand it anymore! What the hell is wrong with this country lately? Since when has it become indignant, and in some cases even dangerous to speak your mind and have a different opinion then these media bullies like Perez Hilton?

When Hilton asked Miss California, Carrie Prejean what her opinion of gay marriage was, it was wrong for so many reasons. First and foremost, Perez's whole career is based on controversy and that, I believe was his primary motivation. No matter what the answer, Perez was poised to pounce, drawing attention to himself and his website. Is Hilton that concerned with gay rights? This coming from a man who makes his career outing people and spreading nasty gossip, on a daily basis, sparing no one. It's hard to believe that such outrage would come from such a person who based his whole career, "no disrespect", on being a relentless bitch! Fault also lies with the Miss USA pageant itself, namely Donald Trump, who shouldn't have allowed the question to be asked...why not ask the contestant's opinions on abortion or illegal immigration while you're at it? What ever happened to the good old fashioned fluff answers about world peace? Does it really matter what Miss US A's political policies are? Has the Middle East ever requested she be brought in to settle the strife? Let's be honest, all it's about is seeing some really hot babes strutting their stuff! But, again, a little publicity, good or bad, never hurts anyone and Trump is savvy enough to know when Perez Hilton is a judge, something is bound to happen. But the real wrong is the way Ms. Prejean was attacked for her answer. Right or wrong, whether you agree or disagree, she was asked and she answered, honestly...."We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage," going on to say, "And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman....
for which she was viciously attacked and called a "dumb bitch" by Hilton. This offends me as a lesbian, as a woman and as an American. Freedom of speech does still exist, does it not? This is why the gay marriage issue will never be resolved in the near future until both sides engage in an honest and open dialogue with each other. But as long as people such as Perez Hilton are allowed to be the face of the gay community and spokesman on such issues, I fear no resolution is in sight. Why is it when Barack Obama was asked the same question by Reverend Rick Warrens and gave the same answer, no outrage was heard from the gay community, not so much as a whimper! But I think the thing that angers me the most is the reaction from women. We seen it with Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin and now Carrie Prejean. When a woman is called a dumb bitch public ally by anyone, women should rise up and take a stand. Sadly, they do not.... nor do they stand up and show outrage when a women is stoned to death or allowed to be raped by her husband in Muslim countries...I guess we really haven't come a long way baby!

I feel a little silly having actually cried a little after having heard the news about Ms. Arthur's passing....but when you look at the big picture, these bigger than life characters that fill our lives as we are growing up and make us laugh and forget our problems, even if just for a little while, are a part of our lives and we can't help but feel the sadness when we lose them. As long as these classic programs and people fill our lives, we are forever young, however, as they grow older and pass away, we are all reminded of our own mortality and that we too are growing older. So I'll just say thank God for TV land and Life Time where The Golden Girls thankfully live on and where I get a warm, fuzzy feeling every time I hear that theme music....so Dorothy, say hi to Sophia for us and thank you for being a friend!

Feel free to leave your Golden Girl & Bea Arthur thoughts.

THE BEST NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION....

As we embark on 2009, I think we can all agree that 2008 pretty much sucked and we're all glad to see it go! Oh yes, it started out well enough with the excitement of the 2008 presidential election and the prospect of either having our first female or African-American president. Then the proverbial shit hit the fan. The economy tanked and the greedy little tick that is corporate America and big government, finally sucked all they could suck from the American people and popped it's ugly little head, unfortunately bringing all of us down with them. It was official folks, the United States was in a recession...or were we? Well, at least that's what we were told. I don't know about everyone else but one thing about 2008 that really pissed me off was the control the mainstream media had over our lives. It pretty much controlled the presidential race with it's embarrassing love affair with Barack Obama and hatred of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin was a disgrace...now they were telling us we were in a recession, the worst since the great Depression, it was only going to get worst before it got better, blah, blah, blah. Well I for one am sick of it! My New Year's resolution for 2009 is to not listen to anymore news shows. I will limit myself to a healthy dose of news each day and get just what I need to know. I think the worst thing to ever happen to the USA was the conception of 24 hour news stations. Too much time to fill makes for a lot of useless and hateful information, most of it all hype. Good news just doesn't sell. Yes, we know Wall Street is a mess but what about Main Street? But what about the small business man & woman who make up about 90% of the work force in this country and who will take a pay cut personally before letting an employee go? Why don't we hear about them? The economic crisis is based on greed, pure & simple. They got greedy, they tanked and we paid for it. If IBM's profits fall for the quarter from 25 million to 20 million, it's seen as a financial disaster and the first to go is the labor force, not the CEO's making millions in salaries and bonuses every year. But what about the middle class taxpayer who's cost of living went up but not their paychecks? I guess what I'm trying to say is hang in there people... don't panic and we'll all be fine. We've been through this before and we can do it again. It's like the happy go lucky chubby kid who goes along, enjoying life until some mean kid informs him that he's actually "fat" and shatters his reality. Well, we're that fat kid people and the media is the mean bully just itching to shatter our reality for ratings, but don't you listen, we're are the strong ones, we are the survivors so let's just keep on doing what it is we as Americans do best, living, loving, laughing and spending!