DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: SOUTH CAROLINA

You can tell it's been a slow news week when every media source starts screaming about Benghazi, a dead horse subject. Trust me, I've looked into it and if there was even a hint over some sort of cover up, I would be all over it. But there isn't. Let's see those runner ups.

1)Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski- In the ultimate case of irony, the Air Force's guy in charge of sexual assault cases was arrested this week for, wait for it, sexual assault. Lt. Numnuts was arrested for attacking a woman in a parking lot making everyone question just what in the hell is going on in our military. I know several woman in the armed forces and they all have described some sort of harassment from the enlisted all the way to generals. This is not acceptable behavior, especially from our military. And while I still don't think it's good idea to have women on the front lines, mainly because if they become POW's rape is almost certainly in their future, I have no problem with women serving in general and should be treated with respect, not leers and groping. This douche should be locked into a place where he is SURE to get raped himself and see how he likes it. I hate rapists and this dick is a black eye to America. I hope he gets everything he deserves. At the very least, his career and life are over. No mention in any article if he was married but it would be nice if his soon to be ex took half his stuff too.

2)Sylvia Brown- Contrary to what many might think, I believe that some people out there can see things the rest of us don't. I have had personal experiences that I cannot explain and my understanding of quantum physics dictate that psychics are scientifically possible That being said, 99% of the people claiming to be psychic aren't. Sylvia Brown is at the top of that list. She is wrong much more often than not and when she is right, guess work and deduction seem much more likely. This bitch has been around far too long and has reappeared in the media as she was one of the idiots who told Amanda Berry's mom, who died in 2006, that her daughter was dead at the time, which she wasn't as she was found alive this week along with two other girls who had been held captive for the past ten years. Oops. Anyone still listening to this monster is as much an idiot as she is.

3)Ariel Castro- Speaking of Amanda Berry comes this story with a happy ending as three missing girls were found alive and well, minus the physical and mental torture they suffered through these past ten years. But they have been located and this fuckwad is going away for the rest of his life, if not to death row, where he really belongs. This ass needs a good lethal injection, stat.

4)Cleveland Police department- So let me get this straight, a report of naked women on leashes in the backyard (which they deny ever hearing about) doesn't deserve an armed response, but some guy with six pot plants in his closet gets the full SWAT team experience. What's wrong with that picture? Our priorities are all screwed up and the police departments nationwide are not helping. Can we start focusing on crimes that need immediate attention and leave the small time drug users alone already?

5)The Judge in the Lauryn Hill case- The singer was found guilty of tax evasion this week and sentenced to pay back $500,000 to the IRS. That's fine. However, the judge also sentenced her to three months in jail with mandatory psyche sessions for her "Conspiracy theory" about how the record industry is reducing artists to slaves. This is frightening as this sets a precedent for judges to jail people with fringe beliefs. Not to the mention the fact, the Hill is right about the recording industry which has been accused of similar actions by John Fogerty, Sheryl Crow, Prince, Paul McCartney and others. I also used to know many people in the recording industry who all left due to rampant mismanagement, low pay and a single minded focus on finding the next boy band rather than find actual talent. The recording industry is a slave operation and anyone who believes differently are the ones that need psychiatric help and not vice versa.

6)Republicans- Another week, another attempt to repeal Obamacare, to pass a law that would end overtime pay for all workers (passed by the House and has no chance in the Senate) and screamed coverup at the top of their lungs. The only problem is there doesn't seem to be anything to the Benghazi case, even impeachment talks is on in the fringe levels but has little chance of anything more. Let's talk about what really happened. The CIA and State department got into a pissing match, something that has been going on for more than half a century now and denounced the other's conclusion. Politics got involved and people died. Obama appears to have no connection to any of this regardless of what the media and GOP are saying. I have not found one document or testimony that says otherwise. The GOP gets half the blame as their "cut costs anywhere" philosophy directly led to a lack of security there and other places. As for this "stand down order," which I still see no evidence for, stop listening to those who say the President is the only one who can give that order. He isn't. The State Department, the Pentagon and the CIA all could have given it. People seem to forget that Dick Cheney gave a stand down order when planes were approaching the Pentagon, a fact that is not in contention as the Transportation Secretary at the time testified to Congress that he was there when it happened. Benghazi was tragic. Can we please move on.

7)The media- It's bad enough Fox News has become the Benghazi channel this week which had led up to nothing. Now the rest of the media, because of a slow news week, is beating the same drums with little public outcry as we have better things to worry about here like low wages, crappy jobs and no hope in sight. Can we fix those problems first please? CNN was caught this week with two newscasters, supposedly in different parts of the city, standing six parking spots away as the traffic in back was always the same. What a joke CNN has become. The rest of our media is not much better.

8)South Carolina- The Republicans in this state hit a new low by electing Mark Sanford to Congress. nevermind the fact he cheated on his wife, or left the state without telling anyone, or used tax payer money to go to Argentina to cheat on his wife, this guy should have been unelectable. Instead he won by nine points. Maybe South Carolina should leave the US after all as there seems to be no hope for this incredibly stupid state. If you are going to vote Republican no matter who is on the ticket, you are terrible American. Maybe you missed the vote this week that attempted to get rid of overtime pay for half the country, but you voted in support of that this week with this dreadful vote. So congratulations South Carolina you are indeed douchebag of the week.

THE US ECONOMY SAILS TOWARD AN ICEBERG. WHY A MARKET CRASH IS MORE LIKELY THAN EVER.

For all the crowing by the government and media sources over how well the country is doing, the facts remain that it is all a dangerous illusion and one that seems to be coming to an end. The Dow is soaring to ever higher heights (a dangerous sign in and of itself), housing prices are rising and unemployment is down to 7.something. All of this is being faked to make things look better. This is a real conspiracy that is proven by the facts themselves. The Dow is artificially inflated, housing is falling to the same "free market" bullshit that got us into the mess that we are still in, and the true unemployment number, one that counts everyone not working and working in some low laying, no benefit job is well into the high twenties, low thirties. No society can continue with these numbers and the US and Europe will be no different. Europe is in the midst of it's Great Shadow Depression, a word not used anywhere ever though by the very definition of the word, they are in one. Our economy yo-yo's between severe recession to mild depression, neither of which is showing any sign of abating.

Historical patterns say the economy is headed for a major downturn. I say this as one who writes A LOT about the sale of precious metals for several large gold suppliers and watch the markets carefully as a result. Copper is one of those lesser known metals that few watch as it's not as flashy as gold or platinum. However, copper is a major market indicator, thus the nickname "Dr. Copper." This year, copper has fallen off a cliff, a real troubling sign, as have almost all precious metals for unbelievable reason.

The world is hoarding gold while selling paper certificates in mass bulk. Half of these paper derivatives don't even exist, with full knowledge by our government that it is going on. The reason I know this is that if I can figure what is going on, along with thousands of others, someone in the government would be smart enough to as well. The only explanation is that they are in on it, perhaps even getting some sort of kickback for looking the other way. The main reason they are looking the other way is that the banks have all the power right now and may be dictating rules to the government and not vice versa, a scary proposition. They could be saying " Do as I say or I will tank the economy" It would explain a lot of what is going on right now.

Housing is falling back down, as the whole price increase was bull anyway as flipping is all the rage again and the banks are sitting on millions of foreclosures right now, artificially keeping housing prices from slipping even further down. Home renovations have fallen, retail spending has followed, the Dry Baltic Index is falling further and further behind, and economic figures from places like Europe and China are terrible. So how in the hell are stock prices rising? They are obviously rigged with all the printed money, QE Infinity, that is doing the same to stock prices that banks are doing to housing. It's all bullshit and eventually, it will come crashing back to Earth. Here are 12 indicators from Blacklistednews.com:

#1 The price of copper has traditionally been one of the very best indicators of the future performance of the U.S. economy.  The fact that it is down nearly 20 percent so far this year has many analysts extremely concerned...

Copper's downward trend foreshadows a stock market collapse, according to Societe Generale's famously bearish strategist Albert Edwards, who said equity markets will riot "Japan-style." 

"Copper is acting exactly as it did when I wrote about the impotence of liquidity in the face of the (then imminent) 2007 recession. Once again it is giving us an early warning that liquidity will not save risk assets: time to get out of equities," Edwards wrote in his latest research note, on Thursday.

#2 Home renovation spending has fallen back to depressingly-low 2010 levels.

#3 As Zero Hedge recently pointed out, U.S. retail spending is repeating a pattern that we have not seen since the last recession...

Retail sales of clothing is growing at the slowest pace since 2010; but while major store sales are about to drop negative YoY for the first time in over 3 years, the utter collapse in general merchandise sales is worse that at the peak of the last recession at -5%. It seems tough to see how a nation with an economy built on 70% consumption is not in a recessionary environment. And while this alone is a dismal signal for the discretionary upside of the US economy/consumer; as Gluskin Sheff's David Rosenberg points out real personal income net of transfer receipts plunged at a stunning 5.8% annual rate in Q1. The other seven times we have seen such a collapse, the economy was either in recession of just coming out of one.

#4 Manufacturing activity all over the country is showing signs of slowing down.  In fact, Chicago PMI has dipped below 50 (indicating contraction) for the first time since the last recession.

#5 In April, consumer confidence unexpectedly fell to a nine-month low...

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment declined to 72.3 in April from 78.6 a month earlier. This month’s reading was lower than all 69 estimates in a Bloomberg survey that called for no change from the March number.

#6 NYSE margin debt peaked right before the recession that began in 2002, it peaked right before the financial crisis of 2008, and it is peaking again.

#7 The S&P 500 usually mirrors the performance of Chinese stocks very closely.  That is why it is so alarming that Chinese stocks peaked months ago.  Will the S&P 500 soon follow?

#8 The economic data coming out of the Chinese economy lately has been mostly terrible...

For starters, China’s recent economic data, as massaged as it is to the upside, is downright awful. China’s PMI numbers were the worst in two years. Staffing levels in the Chinese service sector decreased for the first time since January 2009 (remember that year).
China’s LEI also shows no sign of recovery. If anything, it indicates China is heading towards an economic slowdown on par with that of 2008. And if you account for the rampant debt fueling China’s economy you could easily argue that China is posting 0% GDP growth today.

#9 Things just continue to get even worse over in Europe.  Unemployment in both Greece and Spain is now about 27 percent, and the unemployment rate in the eurozone as a whole has just set a brand new all-time record high.

#10 Crude inventories have soared to a record high as demand for energy continues to decline.  As I have written about previously, this is a clear sign that economic activity is slowing down.

#11 Casino spending is usually a strong indicator of the overall health of the U.S. economy.  That is why it is so noteworthy that casino spending is now back to levels that we have not seen since the last recession.

#12 The impact of the sequester cuts is starting to kick in.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, the sequester cuts will cost the U.S. economy about 750,000 jobs this year.

None of that is a good sign of things to come. Some day soon, we are going to wake up and watch as the Dow slides back down to where it was 2008 and, most likely, much lower. I am thinking 3000 range. We have done nothing to fix any of the major problems and the blame for that goes to both democrats, the GOP, the Tea Party and Obama. Nobody is coming up with any reasonable ideas on what we should be doing like giving the middle class more money while we grab 90% of the elites obscene wealth, especially if they have untold trillions stashed in offshore accounts. Unless we start doing just that, none of us are going to have anything as the greedy among us consume everything. I would like to remind them that that didn't work out too well in France in the 1870's. It will be far worse here.

REPUBLICANS, GEOFFREY R. PORTMAN AND OTHER GREAT MOMENTS IN AMERICAN STUPIDITY

It has been a momentous few weeks in which we seem to be having a contest over which group or individual can do the stupidest thing imaginable. We had three college students aid a wanted terrorist after they knew he was involved in the deaths of several innocent people. Media had become a laughable parody of itself from CNN incapable of not spreading every wild rumor as if God himself had reported it while Fox News cried Benghazi at the top of its lungs until no sane person was listening. We had a government that shot down background checks which 90% of the public wanted while simultaneously getting rid of provision that would have had a limited ability of stopping insider trading inside of Congress.

We are being told the economy is getting better because the Dow just reached 15,000, unemployment is dropping and housing is rebounding. The Dow is on steroids, flush with freshly printed money, unemployment uses numbers that are rigged to be lower than they really are and have been so since 1980, and the only reason housing is rebounding is people are using houses to flip for profit while the banks sit on MILLIONS of foreclosures that, if they flooded the market with, housing prices would drop through the floor. It's all an illusion and some of us are starting to see through it. But there are a lot of stupid people out there. Too many as a matter of fact.

Take Geoffrey R. Portman, for example. This tub of lard was recently arrested in the Worcester, MA area for conspiring to kidnap, rape, and eat a child. What a winner. I loathe kiddie porn and this piece of garbage had quite a bit of it which is what caused his arrest. The authorities were stunned when they searched his house and found a soundproof dungeon with torture equipment, a steel table, restraints, a kid sized coffin and a cage, all brand new and never used, thank God. The dumb part is he was looking for an accomplice online where he would go to chat rooms and talk about his sick fantasies to others like him. Yuck. This douche should be put to death the second they find him guilty. Or better yet, throw him into gen-pop with a sign around his neck that says in bright red letters "CHILD FUCKER." He wouldn't last the day.

What Portman did is pretty stupid in many ways but the Republicans of this country have to start really looking at themselves and wonder if they might be borderline retarded or perhaps a child of incest because everything the GOP is about right now is insane. And anyone voting for these idiots are just as bad. Eric Cantor wants to get rid of overtime pay. Is that really what many of you out there want? I doubt it. They want to make abortion illegal all the time. Do you really want that for your teen daughter? They hate gay people. How is that not racist? If you really want big business to have total control of our lives while a religious theocracy tells us all what to do, keep voting for the GOP. If not, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP VOTING FOR THE DUMBEST HUMANS OUT THERE!

Mark Sanford is at the polls today and is neck and neck with Elizabeth Colbert in SC. How is that possible? Sanford used tax payer dollars, ie STOLE MONEY FROM THE CITIZENS OF SC, to cheat on his wife. And this is fine with the all the so called catholics voting for him right now is it? These are the same people who demonized Bill Clinton for far less heinous behavior, including Sanford himself who personally chastised the President for cheating on his wife and voted for impeachment. Throw stones much, Sanford? That blowjob he got didn't cost the taxpayers millions like your sorry ass. Yet people are still going to vote for him because he has a R behind his name and that is a dangerous way to vote right now as the Republican party's is filled to the brim with insanity. To make matters worse, Sanford took out a full page ad recently to highlight why people should overlook his Argentinian mistress and look at his election as akin to the battle at the Alamo. Only problem with that was dumbass got the date wrong as to when the Alamo happened. Genius. It was long, rambling message that in no way told people anything of any importance. Yet he still may win. Good god what is happening to us?

The only good news is that it came out this week that Rush Limbaugh may be parting ways with his syndication company, Cumulus after his advertising dollars have all but vanished. CEO Lew Dickey told reporters that Limbaugh has been in freefall since his ill advised comments about Sandra Fluke, in which he called her a "slut" for wanting insurance companies to cover birth control. Of the 3.5% loss last year, a full 1% represented Rush's advertising drop off. His days may finally be numbered. Anybody still listening to this ass has little hope of accomplishing anything important ever.

And speaking of freefalling, both Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) have both signaled a willingness to vote for background checks in the future as their polls have showed a grand canyon sized drop. Ayotte's numbers dropped as much as 15 points on average (and in the 30's to moderates) while Jeff Flake is now the single most hated person in Congress just beating Mitch "the Turtle" McConnell. Flake is living up to his name as he has given some truly astonishing answers as to WHY he didn't vote for background checks, his best one being that "texting someone about a gun would be a crime." It wouldn't. He's making that up. And anyone voting for this idiot should be shamed in public.


All this while the NRA convention this week was a nonstop parade of the, and I mean this quite literally, the DUMBEST politicians and pundits one could put on one stage. This gala brought together the mind powers of Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Wayne LaPierre, Ted Cruz and Rick Santorium to name just a few who went off on strange tangents like gay marriage and immigration at a gun rally. When I go see someone like Henry Rollins in concert I don't expect him to start singing country songs. This forever proves my point that the NRA is not there to protect the 2nd amendment but to get Republicans elected no matter how nutty.

We have to stop voting for any Republican while putting pressure on the democrats for better help to the poor and middle class. We can still change this country but not if a majority of us all act like drunken monkeys. The choice is yours, read a book or a blog once in a while or zone out to The Voice. Just remember this whole house of cards will eventually come crumbing down if nothing is done and soon. Just saying, your choice.

SYRIA CIVIL WAR SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL THREATENING REGIONAL CONFLICT. WHY NOW?

The civil war in Syria is starting to drag in it's neighbors as, much like every other bit of scientific knowledge out there today, no one can agree on what is really going on. An alleged sarin attack last week had US, UK and Israeli sources all blaming Assad and his men. Now comes word from the UN that Syrian rebels are to blame. This is from the Daily Mail:

"Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte told Swiss TV that a UN commission has 'strong, concrete suspicions' that rebels had used the nerve agent sarin gas.

She said that the United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law.

'Our investigators have been in neighbouring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,' said Ms Del Ponte."

This is the exact opposite of the US position and both have reasons to lie. The US for military reasons and the UN for lately being somewhat anti-American in nature. I am not some dimwit who believes the UN is coming for us or any nonsense like that but their voting blocks as of late have a distinct anti-US tinge to them that is undeniable and perhaps with good reason. We have not exactly been a good friend to a lot of places in the world lately and we are seeing that on the world stage. There are also complex reasons, such as domination attempts by Russia and China, currency wars and other complicated matters that would be best described in a future article.

Syria is falling apart. And as they seem hell bent on assisting their only real ally, Iran, in getting missiles to Hezbollah to be used against Israel, they are asking for trouble. Israel, of course, has retaliated against the Syrians hard for this indescretion by bombing the crap out of at least twelve sites so far. The death toll is unknown, but I expect it be at least five hundred dead, most of them elite soldiers protecting these stockpiles. Assad wouldn't want these arms to fall into rebel hands so they would be well guarded. Now they are stuff on rock. And the Syrian government is pissed.

Most surprisingly from all of this though is that Israel provided NO warning to the US at all about this strike, meaning that this is a clear sign to Obama that, if they feel Iran is a threat, they may do exactly the same thing. That is extraordinarily dangerous as any attack on Iran may immediately affect US troops and a little heads up that a war is coming might be nice.

Now I doubt anyone wants a war, least of which would be Assad who is kind of busy at the moment. The Syrians have threatened retaliation but I fear that as much as North Korea: possible but highly unlikely unless suicide is in their future. The Israelis have apologized for the assault but said they would not allow Iranian missiles to get into terrorist hands regardless of where they might be.

I highly doubt this will advance beyond talk, but in today's unpredictable times, anything is possible. We have two sides telling us two different things, both of which are plausible. Did Assad use sarin or did the rebels? I don't know because we do not have any sort of scientific community who can get the message out over what is true and what is bunk. All science, no matter how wrong, is being treated as possible and real, even when it clearly isn't. Until we have a National Science Board, filled with the smartest people in the country, if not the world, to examine these kinds of things and let us know who is telling the truth. everything will be guesswork. It is near impossible anymore to know whether just about anything you think you know is right. Are temperatures getting warmer, cooler or staying the same on a global scale? The answer is yes depending on what you read and not all of it is from dubious sources, yet still contradict one another somehow. Did 9/11 happen the way the official story said it did? Don't know for sure but I doubt it. What really happened at OKC? Up in the air. We are desperate for answers and all we get are soundbites. All I can tell you is that if we keep this trend up, soundbites are going to bite us all in the ass.

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: JUDGE MARK CIAVARELLA

It was close call this week between three teens throwing their lives away to protect a wanted terrorist and this judge from PA who convicted over 5000 teens to prison for bribe money from a private prison. I had to give to him for the sheer amount of damage he caused. Let's see those runner ups.

1)Chinese scientists- It was revealed this week, in a stunning bit of channeling Dr. Frankenstein himself, that the Chinese thought it was good idea to tinker with some already lethal strains of the flu to make them even MORE virulent. Besides the fact that there was no good reason to do such a thing as it wasn't going to help them understand the virus better or even help develop a new vaccine. No they did it just because they could. Unbelievable. This is how worlds end when some idiot does something so stupid, that society grinds to a halt because of it. Has no one in that country read or seen "The Stand?" More frightening is the fact that scientists have revealed that these labs have had outbreaks in the past from far less lethal pathogens. This is playing with fire on a global scale. I can only hope they stop this madness immediately.


2)Republicans- Another week, another round of an endless stream of idiocy. Benghazi is back AGAIN in their perceptions, which according to almost every legitimate poll, the American public could not care less about. Talk about beating a dead horse. It's over. Move on already. Christ we didn't spend this much time talking about 9/11 and there are still questions about how that played out. But as that happened under a Republican watch, it was all above board while anything President Blackenstein does is subject to impeachment, tar and feathering and a good old fashioned lynching. The GOP has proved we no longer live in a democracy and anyone voting for these retards is every bit as guilty as the idiots they put into office. Look at the polls and how these fuckwads vote. Gay marriage: 52% approval rating. Republicans overwhelming voted against it. Pot legalization: 52%. Zero Republican support. Medical Marijuana: 82% support. Zero Republican support. Universal background checks: 90%. Four votes from the GOP. That is not following the will of the people at all. It is following the will of the corporations who control them thanks to Citizen's United. The only good news is hat many are growing tired of this and several Congresspeople have seen their numbers plummet since. Kelly Ayotte (NH-R), Jeff Flake (AR-R) (who is now the least popular member of Congress just squeaking by Mitch McConnel for last place), Lisa Murkowski (AK-R), Mark Begich (AK-D), Rob Portman (OH-R) and Dean Heller (NV-R) have all seen their numbers drop perilously and any who might be up for election in 2014 could actually lose what would have been safe seats normally. The GOP keeps saying that they could claim the Senate in 2014. Not if you keep doing this kind of crap because at this point, you'll be lucky not be thrown out on your rear everywhere.

3)Tea Party morons- I cannot believe this group still exists. Mark Begich is up for re-election in Alaska in 2014 and it seems dicey he will win at this point after destroying any credibility he had by voting against universal background checks. However, the Tea Party wants to run Sarah Palin as a competitor for the seat. REALLY? If you want Begich to win handily, by all means nominate Palin. Please. Polls would suggest it is not going to happen as she less popular than Congress which currently has an 8% approval rating. Herpes and taxes rate higher than her and Congress. The Tea Party is a failed movement. Let it go already.

4)Mississippi Supreme Court- In a stunning bit of stupidity and abject racism, the Court system voted 5-4 to NOT allow DNA testing to prove a death row inmate's claim on innocence. Nevermind the fact that no physical evidence linked Willie Manning to the kidnapping and murder of two college students or the fact that he was convicted on the testimony of the cousin of the defendant and a prison snitch, the former accused two others wrongly before getting it "right," and the latter recounted everything he said. There is now way this guy should have ever been convicted in the first place except he had the misfortune of being both black and poor. This is a travesty of justice and I hope the five douchebags that voted for him to meet a similar fate.

5)Clothing retailers- After the collapse of yet another Bangladeshi building this week, we have to take a serious look at where our retailers are getting their wares from. 97% of all clothes in the US and Europe are now made in these legal sweatshops and forced slave labor camps that is simply not acceptable anymore. People shouldn't have to die so that we can keep jeans at $20. Hundreds are dying, many more are being treated as poorly as one can be treated, and no one seems to care. Benetton, an Italian clothing line, was recently caught as one of the sweat shops retailers in the building collapse in Bangladesh, meaning they are as responsible as the overseers who forced those innocent people to stay in an unsafe building. Benetton expressed shock and dismay at the collapse and tried to distance themselves from the disaster but, facts are facts, and it came to light that they did indeed have a sweat shop in there. Walmart, Target and other big box stores have been caught doing the same. This cannot be allowed to continue. Boycott anyone using slave labor.


6)Syria- Syria was accused of using chemical weapons this week against the rebels. Obama pussy footed around it, further blurring that so called "red line" he kept touting about, and did nothing. The Israelis on the other hand have spent the last few days firing rockets into various buildings that have suspected rockets and chemical weapons meant for Hezbollah. At least 300 soldiers were killed at one strike today. Syria called it an act of war but as they have their hands full just holding onto to Damascus I expect little in return fire at this point. Assad's days are numbered. Bet on it. What comes after may be an even bigger problem.

7)The producers for The Great Gatsby- Only an idiot would move a musical based on a movie that has flopped at least three times already in the past from Christmas to the worst weekend to open anything you want to make money off of. The second weekend in May is a buzzsaw for anything opening for the past few years, especially if the film opening the previous week is a gargantuan success. Last year, The Avengers, destroyed anything in it's wake. The ill advised Dark Shadows and the better than expected The Dictator got killed that following weekend, as did just about anything else that opened until Memorial Day, including last year's worst movie Battleship. This year, Iron Man 3 is a juggernaut, with the second biggest opening weekend ever, just behind The Avengers. The Great Gatsby will be lucky to see $30 million and as Star Trek opens the following week, will be lucky to stay in the top three for it's second outing. This film cost $150 million not counting advertising meaning it will have to gross at least $250 mil world wide. Not likely. Way to kill your grosses dumb asses by not understanding the very job you have.

8)Dias Kadvrbavev, Azamat Tazhavakov and Robel Phillipos- Three of the stupidest people imaginable actually conspired after the fact with Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to hide evidence even after they knew he had killed and maimed innocent people. I hate the FBI and even I would have had them on speed dial if someone I knew was involved in something this horrible. It also came to light that while it was unlikely I would have been at the Boston Marathon this year, it is almost certain I would have been there for the 4th of July which was their first target apparently. Great. The security this year is going to be just like after 9/11 with cops EVERYWHERE, command centers on nearby rooftops and snipers. But these three morons have now thrown away their lives, two of which are going to be deported and will NEVER be allowed to leave their home country again (this after their jail sentence where I am sure they are going to be very unpopular) while the US citizen, Phillipos, faces a life in which jail time is served and no good job ever. The dead terrorist still sits in a funeral home as no cemetery wants him. Good. I hope he fucking rots.

9)People still thinking the Boston Marathon bombing was a hoax- This is one of those conspiracy theories that is laughably bad. Today some fool put up pictures of a woman with something in her hand, declared it sissors, and said she was cutting peoples pant legs up to make it look like a bombing had occurred while another person poured fake blood everywhere. That is some true nuttiness. Please stop and go back to more credible nonsense like a fake moon landing, reptoids from dimension X or Sarah Palin being a good candidate for Senator.

10)Judge Mark Ciavarella- This piece of shit took bribes from a private prison to put over 5000 teens into a juvenile center that they had no business being in. He was caught and sentenced to 28 years in prison which I can only hope will be part of the gen-pop where he will meet others not so caring and nice.  Another judge in PA, Michael Conahan, was convicted in 2011 of similar crimes and was sentenced to 17 years in jail. Why hasn't anyone from the prison been arrested yet? RICO statutes cover them as well so why no arrests? Because the private prisons are destroying this country and have a stranglehold on our government. They are the second largest lobbying group, just being the military industrial complex and we all know how well they are doing with no-bid contract, huge fees and other tax payer sucking devices that are bankrupting us. Robert Mericle is the owner of two facilities in PA and has been the one that both judges says bribed them. So why is he not in jail? Because he's rich and in this country, the elites have a different set of rules to follow. Mericle was convicted in 2009, payed a huge fine and, as of this writing, no jail time. There is still some word about being sentenced to up to three years in prison, but so far, he still walks among us with no sign of that being let up. VP Joe Biden even praised Mericle for his construction company in helping rebuild areas damaged during Hurricane Sandy. This fucknut should be doing hard time not prancing about with his dick in his hand. Private prisons are a bane on US freedoms and should be abolished immediately. This case shows how wrong something can go where innocent people are being jailed for profit.  This is justice in America. So congratulations to Ciavarella, Conahan and Mericle for you are indeed douchebags of the week.

IT'S SUMMER MOVIE TIME. WHAT WILL SOAR AND WHAT WILL FLOP.

Lately, it kind of sucks to live in the Boston area. It's not because of terrorism, or the weather or the horrible, horrible drivers. It's because the news media here is beating a dead horse with the aftermath of the bombings. Yesterday, the news was on all day to inform us of three dumb asses arrested by the FBI for aiding and abetting after the fact the two terrorists who attacked the Marathon. Idiots. This may have been interesting for five minutes, maybe ten, not an entire afternoon where helicopters followed the car taking the three to and from the courthouse all the while repeating the same facts over and over. It was mind numbingly boring. So today, I have decided to leave the news behind for the day and talk about something I love: the summer film season. I will pick the five best and five worst sounding movies of the coming few months. Let us leave behind any more details from the terrible future we face and at least give us something to look forward to.

FIVE BEST SOUNDING FILMS OF SUMMER 2013

5)Iron Man 3- I liked the first two Iron Man movies but always felt that the directing and story were a little lacking. In both films, the final fight scene seemed almost tacked on and not very thrilling. Joss Whedon's, The Avengers, showed us exactly how to stage a final fight scene that was epic in scale and thrilling in nature. Shane Black takes over in his second directorial effort, his last being 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, also with Robert Downey Jr. and was quite good. The movie uses one of Iron Man greatest villains The Mandarin with Sir Ben Kingsley playing him to the hilt. It has already opened to huge overseas grosses and I expect tomorrow to see much the same here. This will be a big hit and a great movie.

4)Pacific Rim- Gullermo Del Toro is one of my favorite directors having seen everything he has ever done, including his excellent debut Cronos in the theater nonetheless. Now comes his first big budget movie with giant robots and huge, Godzilla-like monsters. Add in an international cast, including Japanese hottie Rinko Kikucki, one of the only Japanese women ever nominated for an Academy Award for Babel (which was also the only watchable part of that misfire of a movie) and Jax from Sons of Anarchy (Charlie Hunnam) and you have all the elements for a great popcorn flick. I cannot wait for this film.

3)This is the End- Reuniting the Pinapple Express cast and crew, comes this gem about a bunch of stars, playing versions of themselves, throwing a party when the end of the world begins. Seth Rogan, James Franco, Craig Robinson and Danny Mcbride all come back to join Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill and Emma Watson in what appears to be one funny movie. The best appears to be Michael Cera playing a degenerate, cokehead version of himself. Cameos abound from what I hear and I have very highs hopes for this film as the trailer is laugh out loud funny.

2)Man of Steel- I will admit, I am usually kind of meh of Superman. I liked the first two Christopher Reeve movies and the Dean Cain TV series was entertaining but that's about it. The last Superman film was painful to sit through with giant plot holes and an Austin Powers ending. However I do like the director, other than his last turd Sucker Punch and the overwrought 300, and feel he may be the guy to bring Superman to life in a new way. The story sounds interesting with Superman struggling to NOT use his powers and General Zod (Michael Shannon) as the villain, this film has loads of promise.

1)Star Trek Into Darkness- This film can't open soon enough. I love Star Trek. It represents hope for the mankind and that is something we have precious little anymore. Add in the fact the JJ Abrams nailed it last time and this looks no different. As Benedict Cumberbatch is the still unknown villain I expect good things from this film and the trailers look amazing. I will be there day one to see this and expect there to be many others who will agree that this will almost certainly be the best film of the summer and maybe, even the year.

FIVE WORST SOUNDING FILMS OF SUMMER 2013

5)Tyler Perry Presents Peeples- Pretty much anything after TP Presents is a sure fire sign of how bad this film be. Yes I am the polar opposite of the target audience, but My God these films suck. The tone varies wildly from slapstick comedy to tearjerker and the "comedy" is so broad as to be painted with a broom. The trailers certainly are not getting any laughs in the theater when I saw it and most actually groaned at some of it. It will still make a small fortune as they are cheaply made and black people sure seem to like these movies, but it will still suck and suck hard for the rest of us. Unless you are a big fan, stay far, far away.

4)The Great Gatsby- This book adaptation has been tried numerous times in the past and it has never worked even when Robert Redford took a crack at it. I am not a big Baz Luhrmann fan, having found all of his films overblown and over directed, especially the unwatchable Romeo and Juliet. This whole film looks like it was filmed inside a snow globe and looks dazzling and pretty while having all the story momentum of a Teen Mom episode. I love Leo DeCaprio but I think this time the production may fizzle as it opens between Iron Man 3 and Star Trek. This would have better suited for Christmas 2012 when it was supposed to open. During the summer, this is going to get buried.

3)300: Rise of an Empire- I pretty much found the original pretty to look at with almost no story whatsoever. I also never thought there was much need for a sequel but leave it to Hollywood to figure one out. Gerald Butler wisely turned down returning in this series, which may be the smartest thing he ever did. I see little reason that this will do well with the only factor being it is being released in August with little competition.

2)Epic- I really, really like animated features. However, the ones coming out lately have been really bland. The Oscar for Brave was unwarranted as every other movie nominated against it was better. Brave was pretty to look at but the story was nonexistent. Now comes the first of what will be many Brave-like ripoffs, like this one. The plot has something to do with a teen girl who fights forces of evil in a forest of something. The trailers are TERRIBLE with the only redeeming factor is that there are not a lot of kids fare until much later in the summer. This will probably open well and fade fast on bad word of mouth. I have very low hopes for this.

1)World War Z- The Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows. I have seen every great zombie movie ever made at least twice and the most of the bad ones once. In all the time, not one has been rated PG-13. So with advance word coming of a complete lack of blood, also comes word that the book has been radically changed and that the studio demanded seven weeks of reshoots after dailies came back with much negative fanfare.. This film looks, sounds and smells like one of the biggest failures of the year and hiring Marc Forster was probably not the wisest move as his movies have been sluggish and dull. I am not going to see this and I am definitely the target audience here. As it opens a week after the new Superman, the same day as the promising Monsters U, and a week before White House Down, this film needs a lot luck. As the most expensive zombie movie ever made ($200m), this will also go down as the biggest failure of the year. Bet big that this movie tanks.

THREE MORE MORONS ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE BOSTON MARATHON MASSACRE. HERE ARE PRIME EXAMPLES OF WHY THE YOUNGER GENERATION IS SCREWED.

Regular readers know I have little faith in our police departments and even less for the FBI. That being said I fail to understand anyone who would be helping, after the fact, two of the dumbest terrorists ever. The two actual bombers, one of which was in college somehow, perpetrated a second rate attack that did nothing other than fan even more hatred toward their own religion. They let themselves get caught on camera, knowing full well the FBI had their fingerprints, profile pictures and personal data. They had NO escape plan other than some dim witted attempt to get to NYC which, ironically, blew up in their faces. These were not some grand geniuses but more bumbling fools. To quote the Violator from the movie Spawn: "Why does God get all the good ones and we get all the rejects?" Here, here.

But besides the two idiots, one dead, one who might as well be, we now know that three more people have been arrested for either helping the two terrorists dispose of evidence after the fact or lying to the FBI, both federal crimes. This is from the Huffington Post:

Federal prosecutors allege that Dias Kadyrbayev, 19, and Azamat Tazbayakov, 19, tried to conceal and destroy a laptop and backpack full of fireworks belonging to Tsarnaev, a friend from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where they were all students at one time. They were charged with alleged conspiracy to obstruct justice by the U.S. Attorney's office in Massachusetts.
A third man, Robel Phillipos, 19, was accused of lying to law enforcement officials who questioned him about the bombing.

Phillipos called Kadyrbayev to say that Tsarnaev resembled one of the suspects in the photos released by the FBI on April 18, the affidavit said. Kadyrbayev sent text messages to Tsarnaev joking about the physical similarities. Tsarnaev wrote back saying "lol" and "you better not text me," which Kadyrbayev didn't take seriously, the affidavit said.

The three friends met in Tsarnaev's dorm room that night even though he wasn't there, according to Kadyrbayev's statements. While watching a movie, they noticed a backpack containing fireworks that had been emptied of the explosive powder.

"Kadyrbayev knew when he saw the empty fireworks that Tsarnaev was involved in the Marathon bombing," Agent Scott Cieplik swore in his affidavit. He then "decided to remove the backpack from the room in order to help his friend Tsarnaev avoid trouble."

He also took Tsarnaev's laptop, because he thought it would appear less suspicious to Tsarnaev's roommate, who was also in the dorm room. Tzahayakov told authorities that they also took a jar of Vaseline, which they believed might have been used to produce bombs.

Kadyrbayev allegedly told investigators that he threw the computer and backpack into the garbage after they agreed to try to protect Tsarnaev.

Cieplik's affidavit said that Phillipos gave inconsistent statements over four interviews with law enforcement. During the first three sessions, he, at times, denied taking the backpack and laptop from Tsarnaev's dorm and at other points he claimed not to remember what transpired.
During the fourth interview, Phillipos allegedly admitted that he had lied and then gave a revised statement similar to what Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov told authorities. He claimed that they met at Tsarnaev's room, searched his belongings and took his backpack before heading to the apartment that Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov share.

Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov "started to freak out, because it became clear from a CNN report that we were watching that Jahar [Tsarnaev's nickname] was one of the Boston Marathon bombers," Philipos recalled to authorities.

Phillipos said he was left out of the "majority" of the conversation, because Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov spoke to each other in Russian. He told authorities that Kadyrbayev asked what should be done with the backpack and fireworks they took.

"Do what you have to do," Phillipos allegedly told him before taking a two-hour nap.
When he woke up, the bag was gone and he "did not know for sure who took it from the apartment," the affidavit said
.
The backpack was found on April 26 in a New Bedford landfill, the affidavit said.
 
If convicted, Kadyrbayev and Tahayakov face five years in prison while Phillipos could be locked up for eight if found guilty.

"Inside the backpack, the agents recovered fireworks, a jar of Vaseline, and a UMass-Dartmouth homework assignment sheet," which came from a class Tsarnaev was taking this semester, the affidavit said.

Kadyrbayev and Tazhayako garnered separate unwanted attention for a BMW they drove sporting a vanity license plate that read, "Terrorista #1." CNN reports that they claim the plate was given to them as a joke from friends in Spain. A picture circling the Internet shows a "UMASS DARTMOUTH" tag on the plate as well.

Wow. Who drives around with a licence plate that says Terrorista #1? It would be like Ted Bundy driving around with RAPEKILL on the back of his car. And none of these brain powers, all of whom were in Dartmouth for God's sake, didn't think that even though the FBI can be dense as all getout, even they would be able to piece the puzzle together here? The first call they should have made after talking with a wanted terrorist should have been right to the FBI. Anything else was going to destroy their lives, which it now has. Any life here is over. They are going to get jail time and, immediately afterward, two will be deported back to their home country. The other, a US citizen, better like digging ditches because that is the only work he is ever going to get. No college will ever accept him and I doubt many will be lining up to hire him once his prison stint is done. They are SO screwed.

If this was a lone experience I wouldn't feel so bad but there are many, many more just like these guys. We shuttle our kids through school with rote memory dumps and no clear understanding how anything works. Half of those getting into college can barely read or write which makes me question how they got into college in the first place. Their parents are so overworked and underpaid that they barely have time to spend any time with their kids at all. And all of this is through a haze of violent video games, mind numbing TV and terrible, terrible books (Twilight comes to mind). I have no problem with any of that by the way, as long as parents are involved, and they are not.

Unless we start changing the way we live, the upcoming generations will be bull stupid, thick and most likely, fat. We need some common sense. And considering how Congress acts worse than even these three knuckleheads who have ruined their lives, covering for a friend, we are in deep, deep shit.