How Much Freedom of Speech for Bloggers?

Last week a blogger was arrested for a comment he made in November on a blog about Wisconsin politics. James Buss, a Milwaukee high school chemistry teacher and former president of the local teachers’ union, made the comment on a conservative blog in what he claimed was a sarcastic attempt to discredit critics of education spending. The comment was made under the name of “Observer” and in the context of a blog discussion of teachers’ salaries only after some of the conservative bloggers made comments complaining that teachers are underworked and overpaid.

Buss, in his comment, sarcastically wrote that teacher salaries made him sick because everybody knows that teachers are lazy and work only five hours a day. He went on to praise the teenage gunmen who killed twelve students and a teacher before committing suicide in the Columbine High School incident in 1999. He said in his comment that those gunmen knew how to deal with those overpaid teacher union thugs one shot at a time. He added that the gunmen therefore should be remembered as heroes.

One teacher was so disturbed by the threat of the “one shot at a time” comment that he called the police, who later arrested Buss at his home. After spending an hour in jail, Buss was released on bail of $350. Now a local district attorney is considering whether to charge him with “disorderly conduct and unlawful use of computerized communication systems.”

A university professor and expert in free speech claims that Buss is protected by the First Amendment in his exercise of free speech. One has to consider intent, he said. Buss’s tongue-in-cheek comment was intended to make a point, not to incite violence. Bloggers and free speech advocates are calling on prosecutors not to file charges.

My question is this: If Buss was arrested for his sarcastic comment on a blog, how about this unsarcastic comment made by Pat Robertson in regard to his calling for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the leader of a sovereign nation. Should Pat Robertson, a man who claims to talk with God, also be arrested and charged with inciting violence?

If You Were a Cat

If you were a cat, real or fictional, would you rather be:

1. An African lion, inhabiting the grassy plains, savannahs, open woodlands and scrub country throughout the south Sahara desert or in parts of southern and eastern Africa? For food you can select from a wide variety of animals, including wildebeest, impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, and wild hogs. You also might feed on smaller animals such as hares, birds, and reptiles. You do, however, face a loss of habitat to population growth and agricultural expansion as well as hunting and poisoning by livestock ranchers. But you are free.

2. An African lion in the San Diego Wild Animal Park, an 1800-acre wildlife preserve, where you can roam in a protected environment similar to your natural habitat? All of your needs are met. You have plenty of food, adequate shelter, and veterinary care. You are protected from other hazards to your life. But you are not free.

3. Garfield, the star of the comic strip created by Jim Davis in 1978? That means you are 29 years old now, pretty old for a cat. You always have your socially inept owner Jon Arbuckle’s pet dog Odie to pester. You are sensationally popular, appearing in over 2500 newspapers and journals. You have appeared in several animated specials as well as two feature-length live-action films. There is one problem - you are not a real cat.

4. An alley cat? You have to live by your wits on dangerous urban streets, subject to all the hazards that might befall you. But you are a free spirit.

5. Morris, the Cat, a large red tabby tom, the advertising mascot for 9Lives brand cat food? You are “the world’s most finicky cat”, and you will eat only 9Lives brand cat food. You are a film star, having appeared in 1973 with Burt Reynolds in the movie “Shamus”. You also are a famous author, having authored three books. Your most recent fame has come about as a result of your being “spokescat” for responsible pet ownership, pet health care, and pet adoptions through animal shelters. But your main problem is that you are getting old at the ripe old age of 39 years.

6. Tom, the cat from the “Tom and Jerry” theatrical animated cartoons? You and Jerry, created in 1939 by Joe Barbera amd Bill Hanna, are a lovable cat and mouse locked in cartoon combat. Jerry is very clever and smart. Everything he does is so cute, and he kicks your ass in every episode.

The relationship between you and Jerry is a complex one. You loathe Jerry and will stop at nothing to catch him, and likewise Jerry will never allow you to live an easy life; but there is an unwritten rule that seems to be understood by you , Jerry, and the audience alike - that is that you will never hurt Jerry. Likewise, Jerry might thrash you within an inch of your life, but there is never any implication that your injuries will be permanent. Indeed, you almost always get up again, good as new, at the soonest possible scene transition. The audience understands that neither you nor Jerry will come to any real harm. But there is always that slight chance that you might change your mind and treat yourself to a sumptuous meal.

7. Catwoman? Everything is fine, except that you are running out of kitty litter, you keep coughing up hairballs during lovemaking, and you can never find your pajamas. By the time of your latest film, you had dumped Batman because of incompatibility. When Batman (Bruce Wayne) took you to his Bat Cave, you found yourself in deep guano, the smell left you breathless, and Bruce had a penchant for making love while hanging upside down from the ceiling. He also had a bad habit of staying out late every evening and coming home with the smell of bugs on his breath. That was too much for you to handle.

ATTENTION: Some bloggers have expressed disappointment that I did not include Felix the Cat as one of the choices. I omitted Felix as a choice because of the following factors:

1. He didn't wear clothing. Nudity in a cartoon character might offend some prudish people.
2. His popularity peaked in the 1920's. Many of today's younger people would not know of him.
3. His smile, which took up more than half of his head, was replaced by the smiley face.

4. His last television sighting was in 1997 in a cartoon titled "The Twisted Adventures of Felix the Cat". Some individuals might misinterpret the word "twisted".
5. He appeared in black and white cartoons. Today's kids demand color.
6. He is an octogenarian but still doesn't look a day over four years old.

NOTE: You might like to view one or more of these videos related to the characters in this post.

The Scandal at Oral Roberts University Explored

If your prayers haven’t been answered recently, it could be that God is preoccupied with Richard Roberts, the evangelical preacher son of Oral Roberts. It seems that God and Roberts have been engaged in a dialogue about scandalous allegations emerging from Oral Roberts University (ORU), already in debt to the tune of over $50 million. The allegations are contained in a lawsuit filed by three former professors. They sued ORU and Roberts, alleging they were wrongfully dismissed after reporting the school's involvement in a local political race. The professors also said their dismissals came after they turned over to the Board of Regents a copy of a report documenting moral and ethical lapses on the part of Roberts and his family. Here are the allegations contained in the lawsuit:

1. The family used university funds to remodel their house 11 times during the last 14 years.
2. The university jet was used to take one daughter and several friends on a senior trip to Orlando, Fla., and the Bahamas. The $29,411 trip was billed to the ministry as an "evangelistic function of the president."
3. Mrs. Roberts spent more than $51,000 for clothing in less than a year.
4. A red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV was given to Roberts’ wife, Lindsay.
5. Roberts’ wife awarded non-academic scholarships to friends of her children.
6. Roberts’ wife spent over $800 a month sending scores of text messages between 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. to underage males who had been provided cell phones at university expense.

7. The university and ministry maintain a stable of horses for exclusive use by the Roberts' children.
8. University and ministry employees are regularly summoned to the Roberts' home to do the daughters' homework.
9. Richard Roberts asked a professor in 2005 to use his students and university resources to aid a county commissioner's bid for Tulsa mayor. Such involvement would violate state and federal law because of the university's nonprofit status. Up to 50 students are alleged to have worked on the campaign.
10. Richard Roberts wife, Lindsay, allegedly spent the night in the Oral Roberts University guest house with an underage male "on nine separate occasions," and was photographed 29 times with an underage male in her sports car.
11. A longtime maintenance employee was fired so that an underage male friend of Mrs. Roberts could have his position.
12. Documents were shredded and destroyed days after the initial lawsuit was filed, and hours after ORU and Richard Roberts fired the school's comptroller.

As a result of all these allegations, Roberts requested that the Board of Regents of the University grant him a leave of absence, but said he would continue his role as chairman and CEO of Oral Roberts Ministries.

Meanwhile, Roberts has been engaged in a dialogue with God. The conversation reportedly went something like this:

God (on Thanksgiving Day): Richard, I think you should resign tomorrow.
Roberts: No, I want to strike out against those people who are persecuting us. Should I countersue?

God: No, don’t do that. We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not. This lawsuit ... is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion."
Roberts: Yes, I suppose you are right.

God: I want you to deny these lurid allegations in this lawsuit that threatens to engulf this 44-year-old Bible Belt college in a scandal.
Roberts: Yes, God. I will do as you say.

The Roberts family ministry grew from Southern tent revivals to one of the most successful evangelical empires in the country, hauling in tens of millions of dollars in contributions a year. According to the IRS, the university reported nearly $76 million in revenue in 2005.

Meanwhile, a senior majoring in government at ORU said that he plans to transfer to another school because the scandal has sullied the reputation of the university and has severely devalued the degree that he will obtain from the university. He added, “We have asked and asked and asked to see the finances of our school and what they're doing with our money, and we've been told no. Now we know why. As a student, I'm not going to stand for it any longer."

QUESTIONS: After reading this post and viewing the videos, who do you think is telling the truth? What leads you to that belief?

Three former ORU professors file a lawsuit against the university and Richard Roberts:



Richard Roberts and his wife defend themselves against the charges in the lawsuit on the Larry King Show:

There Is a New Word for It

Remember when the word “couch potato” first arrived in the 1970s. Very few words have a birthday so precisely known as couch potato. It was on July 15, 1976, we are told, that couch potato came into being, uttered by Tom Iacino of Pasadena, California during a telephone conversation. He was a member of a Southern California group humorously opposing the fads of exercise and healthy diet in favor of vegetating before the TV and eating “junk food” ( coined in 1973). Because their lives centered on television--the “boob tube” (coined in 1966)--they called themselves “boob tubers.” Iacino apparently took the brilliant next step and substituted potato as a synonym for tuber. Thinking of where that potato sits to watch the tube, he came up with couch potato.

And now the editors at Webster’s New World College Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary have given a release of some of the new words to be featured in their dictionaries in late 2006. One of the new words is - take a guess - you got it! -“mouse potato." One doesn’t have to strain the brain to deduce its meaning as “one who vegetates before a computer monitor surfing the web or blogging”. Are you a “mouse potato”?

Another word of interest to appear in the new edition of the dictionaries is “himbo” meaning a young, handsome hunk of a man, but one who is foolish, inept, stupid, inconsequential, or contemptible. This word, I presume, is the male version of “bimbo," a young woman, especially one who is promiscuous or unintelligent and is viewed as just a sex object.

Do you live in a “slurb”? There is another word that deserves a second glance. What is a slurb? A slurb is “a suburb of wearisomely uniform and usually poorly constructed houses“. And Lord knows, we have lots of those around here.

The first time I heard the word “wasband” used to refer to an ex-husband was by Carla in her post titled “The Valkyrie.” This term is a clever and euphonious blend of the words “was” and “husband." I think the word was first coined somewhere around 1990. Another clever woman refers to her two exes as “hasbeends."

Another new word that reflects today’s scene is “dirt pill.” Today’s indoor children are given a dirt pill containing a mixture of different strains of probiotic bacteria and antioxidants to replicate the missing childhood exposure and help them develop the immunity they missed by not eating dirt. When I was growing up, we didn’t have a dirt pill. My parents just told us to go outside and play in the dirt.

“Gayborhood.“ This colorful word was coined to describe a section of a city frequented mostly by gay people. Every city has such a neighborhood. In our city it is a section called Hillcrest, a “gayborhood” noted for its gay bars and clubs.

To get your attention, the last word I will present is the word “bling-bling” or “bling," which refers to flashing jewelry worn especially as an indication of wealth. The word also can make a broad reference to expensive and ostentatious possessions. I think it is about time for me to put my bling-bling computer to bed before I become a mouse potato.





The History of Bling Bling

The Absolut history of the bling bling vodka bottle and man's need for more gold and bling bling! The Swedish quality vodka has done it again, the bling bling bottle - the ultimate show of vodka bottle!

Our First Woman President?

Women make up more than 50 percent of the population of the United States, and yet only men have occupied the Oval Office. Women have gone into space, received the Nobel Peace Prize, and have broken through almost every barrier placed in their path of advancement. But in spite of their undeniable talents, women have not been able so far to secure a place in our nation’s highest office.

Perhaps that is about to change in the upcoming Presidential election year of 2008. We already have a strong candidate for the 2008 election in Hillary Clinton. Although I like Hillary, I wish we could have added the name of another candidate - that of Barbara Roberts. And who, you might ask, is Barbara Roberts?

Born in New York on March 9, 1959 Barbara Roberts is already well known throughout the world. After attending Willows High School in Willows, Wisconsin and Manhattan International High School in New York City, where she had a stellar record in all subjects except math, Barbara entered college in 1964.

After graduating college, Barbara went on to great achievements in numerous fields, ranging from a teenage fashion model to a rock star; from a surgical nurse to a medical doctor; from a ballerina to a flight attendant; from a medic Sergeant in Desert Storm to competing in the Olympics swim competition in 2000. After another career as a paleontologist, Barbara decided to enter politics in the Presidential Election of 1992. Following a hard-fought contest, she lost.

As one who is fluent in speaking two languages (English and Spanish), which should be an asset in running for political office in a nation with a growing Hispanic population, Barbara was in the early Presidential race of 2000 until she dropped out.

More recently, Barbara has become well known for her efforts to improve the self image of young girls, encouraging them to recite the mantra of “I am wise...I am curious...I am my own hero.” She has shown girls that they do not need men; they can make their own way in the world.

Political opponents have tried to turn Barbara’s love life into a scandal, but without success. After a 43-year romance with her boyfriend Ken, she decided they needed some time away from each other. Later, she started to date other men such as G.I. Joe, whom she broke up with after discovering him dressed in women’s clothing. In 1993, she had a new Australian boyfriend - a blue-eyed, bronzed, blonde, and beach-loving hunk named Blaine. The latest word is that Ken still loves Barbara deeply and is again pursuing her. Meanwhile, he has undergone a complete makeover in his attempt to win her back.

Barbara’s previous experience in politics would stand her in good stead should she make another run for the Presidency in 2008. In the 2004 Presidential election , Barbara ran as a candidate of the Party of Girls. The Party platform included three primary issues: create world peace, help the homeless and poor, and take care of animals.

In the light of all I have presented here, I think Barbara Millicent Roberts represents the perfect candidate to become the first female President of the United States. And as for her personality - all who know her say that she is a real doll.

Barbie, you've come a long way, Baby.

QUESTIONS: Do you now or have you ever owned a Barbie doll? What accessories do or did you have? Do you or does someone you know have a Bratz doll? Which do you prefer - Barbie or Bratz?

Mattel Barbie Doll Commercial 1959:



ABC News Nightline Report: Bratz Vs. Barbie



Barbie Doll Girls

3 adult friends get together to share a reunion with their childhood Barbie dolls: