Danny on the View

It is the story that is getting all sorts of attention. Danny DeVito, appearing on The View this past week, arrived on the set still intoxicated from his evening out with George Clooney (and who among us wouldn't be?)

I was reluctant to chime in on this silliness, but I am sick of hearing comparisons in the news to Mel Gibson, George Allen and the like...I don't think DeVito was anything but charming and adorable on The View...so he was a little stewed...he wasn't insulting (well unless you are George Bush, and even then not so much). He was just goofy Danny DeVito, business as usual.

You go Danny, you know you are as cute as a man can be, and next time you are out with George drinking Lemoncellos please include Ms. Liberaltruthsayer. I would be delighted to join you gents!

The Supremes to Hear "Bong Hits 4 Jesus!"

And this before my morning coffee...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A high school student's controversial banner with the words "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," which led to his suspension, will be argued before the Supreme Court, in an unusual free speech dispute.

The justices Friday accepted an appeal from Juneau, Alaska, school board officials, after a federal appeals court allowed a lawsuit filed by the family of Joseph Frederick to proceed.

He was suspended in 2002 after he unfurled the sign -- a reference to marijuana use -- just outside school grounds when the Olympic torch relay was moving through the Alaskan capital, headed for the Salt Lake City Winter Games.

"Bong," as noted in the appeal filed with the justices, "is a slang term for drug paraphernalia."

We must ask ourselves, what would Jesus do?

Army Scammed Into Buying Golf Balls

Of course, it goes without saying (but who could resist???) these guys have balls...

On paper, the U.S. Army was supposed to be getting "a ball bearing assortment" for $1,409. It was bad enough that the order form marked up the price from $682.50. But there was something about the order that was way out of bounds: It was for 420 golf balls for a civilian employee at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Douglas Atwell is now facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court Wednesday to bribery in a scam to defraud the government.

Atwell, 51, placed orders from 2003 to 2004 with co-defendant Wayne Silbersack, a salesman for Lawson Products. The orders were for more than $429,500 in equipment that was paid for by the Army, federal prosecutors said."It is disgraceful that a company salesman conspired with a government employee to engage in this scheme to defraud the taxpayers and line their own pockets," U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said in a statement.

Silbersack, 65, who pleaded guilty on Monday, also faces up to 15 years in prison on a bribery charge.

Silbersack, of Forest Hill, issued invoices that inflated prices and falsely described the items ordered by Atwell, prosecutors said. The scam concealed the use of government money to get items for personal use of Atwell and other government employees, prosecutors said.Atwell, of Port Deposit, managed a "tool crib" at one of the Aberdeen Test Center buildings. He charged the items to his government purchase card.By processing the invoices, Atwell received a Dell computer, which was falsely described in an invoice as "electrical assortment parts LP 5002." It was marked up from $1,973 to $2,485.

He also received a shed, disguised on invoices as a "large hardware assortment." It was marked up from $2,840 to $6,521.

Silbersack received more than $78,000 in commissions for sales to Atwell's government credit card.More than $288,000 worth of merchandise was delivered to Silbersack's house or picked up outside the base, prosecutors said.U.S. District Judge William Quarles scheduled sentencing for Feb. 5 for Silbersack and Feb. 6 for Atwell at U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

Two other civilian employees who have been charged in the case have court dates scheduled for next week.

Good Morning From My Snowy Mountain Top

Yes, the flakes are flying here in chilly Edgewood, NM, and we are right now at our high temperature for the day, and will be heading down hill fast. I hear the school bus outside, picking up 75% of my children, the other 25% snoozing in the bedroom, so I think blogging is in order...

Judge Strikes Down Bush on Terror Groups What? Bush is breaking the law? Violating The Constitution? Color me shocked!

Iraq Making Vietnam Look Like Huge Success Yeah, you don't really have to click on that link, anywhere you go for news is going to tell you the same thing, unless you go to Fox News, and you will learn about how Halliburton is building schools and the troops are giving chocolate bars to children. Yes, over on Fox News this is World War 2 all over again, and the news bunnies are singing, "I'll Be Home For Christmas." If only! (In their dreams.)

Wow, all of a sudden the sun came out and the snow has stopped. Now that is more like it. If only it weren't going to become unbearably cold today and tomorrow. I am not a winter person, can you tell?

And it is snowing and gray again, if you don't like the weather here, wait five minutes.

Borat apparently broke up Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson. If the world is too cold a place for those sweet kids to make it, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Child Put Up On Craigslist It wasn't me, honest.

Snoop Dogg Arrested Again Another shocker from CNN. They also have a nice "Rap Sheet" timeline/pictorial. I, for one, am horrified to know that Dogg likes guns, weed and blow. He seems like such a nice young man.

Ok, I am off to make coffee. Back with more highlights and lowlights later!

Liberaltruthsayer Returns

Did anything happen while I was gone?

There is no good excuse, really, for me to have let the old blog go for the past several days, especially given the escalation of violence in Iraq and Bush and Friends going on their "Denial Tour 2006" through the Middle East, but I had stuff to do. Thanksgiving we hosted dinner for 22, and while I felt we had so much to be thankful for already our wonderful guests made us feel even thankfuller. It was a wonderful day. For more about that, be sure to read about it later on "Why My Husband Hates Me" (but give me a few hours to get to that blog!)

So, I am back. I still feel a little sluggish mentally from the wine and pie. I am taking more frequent naps. In between naps I have been scanning the news...

Bush Denies Civil War in Iraq Yes, the Naked Emperor continues to shake his head in denial, when the rest of the world has already come to the obvious conclusion, Iraq is in the throes of a bitter civil war between tribes of people who do not want to live under one another's rules, which we created when we invaded their country. It is time for Bush to face some reality here, we knocked down the hive and peed on the wasps. In this situation there are only two options, kill all the wasps or get the hell out of there. The first is unspeakable, the second the only way to go.

Russia: World Leaders in Political Poisoning There ain't no denying it folks, Russia takes its politics seriously, and while we Americans prefer to ruin our opponents reputations, our political bloodbaths are usually metaphorical. Not in Russia! If you are running for public office against a particularly ruthless foe, or are a former spy critical of perhaps that same ruthless politician, you are likely to suffer greatly before succumbing to the cocktail du jour. There is something brutally Shakespearean about that, though. Personally I would rather be Swiftboated.

More to come...