Palin Gets Another Opportunity to Shine

As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

This Thursday evening will be a defining moment in the race for The White House. Will Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin give a performance like her speech at the Republican Convention last month or will she give a performance like her recent interview with CBS' Katie Couric?

We've been amazed at the scrutiny Palin has been under. Now while we would like to see her do more interviews, etc. even the smallest of gaffes are pointed out. Maybe Couric brings out the gaffes and confusion in politicians?

It was not that long ago when Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden informed Couric that FDR went on television to reassure the nation during the stock market crash in 1929. Two problems with that scenario. Herbert Hoover was president at the time, and, oh, television was not around yet. Funny how that item has gotten so little play on places like MSNBC, NBC, and liberal leaning publications and talk shows.

Palin just needs to come off Thursday night as compitent and assure the public that she could step in for John McCain if needed in a McCain-Palin administration.

If she does well, we've got ourselves a race. If not, be prepared for Obama and Biden to roll into the White House next Janaury. If that's the case, we could be looking at another Jimmy Carter. And we all know how that turned out for the country....

Man Arrested for Alleged Attacks on Women

Authorites say a Riverside area ex-con with a history of violence toward women is responsible for sexually assulting nearly a dozen mentally-impared homeless females during a four-year span.

Peter Frances Milosavjeivc is alleged to have invited the women into his home by telling them that he would give them shelter. In turn, he allegedly attacked them. Milosavjevic, however, says the women came into his home by their own choice and had consensual sex with him.

Milosavjevic, 57, is looking at 57 sexual assault-related charges involving 11 victims, between 2001 and 2005, according to authorities.

According to prosecutors, the defendant drove around streets, bus stations and anywhere else he might locate dispossessed, drug-addicted and developmentally disabled women to take advantage of.

Milosavjevic, who faces life in prison if convicted of the current charges, has prior convictions that includes the sexual assault and beating of a woman in 1983, and assaulting another woman a decade later.

He served five years of a 13-year sentence for the second crime and was let out of jail in 2000.

Family Sues Disneyland Following Dog Attack

An Illinois family has sued Disneyland, stating that their four-year-old daughter was mauled by a dog at the park's petting zoo two years ago.

Filed in Orange County Superior Court, the suit claims that the German shepherd-Labrador retriever mix attacked the at the time two-year-old and left her permanently scarred.

Lena Dickerson was reportedly bitten several times on the face by the animal. The family, which lived in Valencia, Calif. at the time of the attack, has since moved to Illinois.

According to reports, a Disneyland employee adopted the 6-year-old dog from the Orange County Animal Shelter and brought it to Disneyland two weeks before the attack. The lawsuit goes on to say that the dog was situated on a box in the Big Thunder petting zoo while a park employee held its leash and invited children to pet it.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified punitive damages and reimbursement for the Dickerson family's medical costs and the trauma it endured.

Politics Flare Up at Emmy's; No Surprise Here

We may not have degrees from Harvard or been community organizers, but we are always amazed that the Hollywood elite (better known as the liberal lefties) are just so out of touch with most of the country.

And we also find it funny that these super rich stars don't mind the fact that if elected, Barack Obama will soak it to them when it comes to taxes. We guess they just don't mind paying more than their fair share of taxes, huh.

At Sunday night's yawnfest that was the Emmy Awards, which by the way tanked in the ratings, the Hollywood crowd took numerous shots at John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Shortly into the broadcast, co-host Howie Mandel fired the first moron remark, comparing a mostly failed comic routine involving him and his fellow reality show co-hosts to being on "Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere."

Laura Linney (won best lead actress in HBO's "John Adams"), who we frankly had not heard of before, then defended community organizers, saying her experience in working on the miniseries made her "so grateful and thankful for the community organizers that helped found our country."

Backstage, Linney noted, "Our founding fathers were community organizers," she said in the media tent. "I just feel it's been disparaged a bit. I don't feel anyone should be disrespected, no matter what party they're in. No matter who they are." Hmmm... wonder how Linney feels about mothers with five kids being in the political spotlight and being told by some that they need to choose between their careers and their families? We don't remember Linney addressing that issue.

Finally, there was the ever present Tina Fey, who got roars (and rightfully so) for her impersonation of Palin the other weekend on Saturday Night Live.

"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5," said Fey, who won Emmys in comedy for her acting and writing. "So, if anyone can help me be done playing this lady, that would be good for me."

Even Stephen Colbert got into the hot air show with comments backstage. Questioned which actor he would cast as Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Colbert said, "[Don] Rickles, obviously, would be good. And maybe me for Sarah Palin, because I also have absolutely no business being vice president."

Well, Stephen, sounds sort of like you being cast for Barack Obama, because you also have absolutely no business being president.

SNL Skit on Palin Family Crosses the Line

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

In its latest attempt to poke fun at Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Saturday Night Live showed a skit this past weekend where it lampooned The New York Times as out of touch.

The sketch, however, set off a firestorm by casually putting out there a much more insidious inference — incest — between Todd Palin and his pregnant, teenage daughter, Bristol.

Palin's oldest daughter, 17, is pregnant. Palin and her husband gave birth earlier this year to a baby boy with Down's Syndrome. Some on the left have accused Palin of lying about the April birth and claim that the child is actually Bristol's baby.

In the sketch this past weekend, New York Times reporters gather around an assignment meeting discussing what about Palin to investigate next.

According to a story on Foxnews.com, one reporter asks: “What about the husband? You know he’s doing those daughters. I mean, come on. It’s Alaska.”

Guest host James Franco, who played the assignment editor, sets up the joke of proving a negative, saying, “He very well could be. Admittedly, there is no evidence of that, but on the other hand, there is no convincing evidence to the contrary. And these are just some of the lingering questions about Governor Palin.”

After three of the reporters agree to go to Alaska, one sues for sexual discrimination after being called “sweetie” by a school board member, one is killed by a polar bear and a final reporter wins a Pulitzer for “unproven, yet un-disproven incest in the Palin family” and then is killed by a polar bear driving a “snow machine.”

The final shot in the rambling joke is an image of a New York Times page, featuring headlines: “While No Direct Evidence of Incest in Palin Family Emerges, Counter Evidence Remains Agonizingly Elusive” and “In a Small Alaska Town, Doubts Still Linger.”

We will admit the Tina Fey parody of Palin the previous week was funny. This sketch, however, definitely crosses the line.

While we know they disagree with her on many issues, we're also amazed how many womens groups have not come out and stood up for Palin, at least noting that being a potential vice president is a great step forward for women in this country.

Leave it to the loons on the left to continue to beat the anti-Palin drum. While SNL has done skits of Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, etc. this one on Palin's family went too far. Even lefty Tina Fey may want to question this skit.

You can bet if the skit had been on the Obama family children that we'd be hearing far more outrage today.

Man Accused of Keeping Girl, 13, as Sex Slave

Authorities in Ventura County report that a 46-year-old man was arraigned on Wednesday on rape charges for reportedly keeping a 13-year-old girl as a sex slave in a remote motor home.

Shawn Barth reportedly held the girl prisoner in Moorpark since May and sexually assaulted her on a daily basis. Although the girl was allowed to go to school, she was reportedly too afraid of Barth to tell anyone about the alleged molesting.

Barth was charged with a felony count each of child rape, continuous sexual abuse and oral copulation on a child. The girl has since been taken into protective custody.

Investigators think Barth and the girl may have drove around Southern California in the motor home before settling in Moorpark.

Barth was being held on $1 million bail. His next court appearance is Oct. 2.

Babs for Obama Night in Beverly Hills

As only Babs can, Barbra Streisand, a hero to those on the far left, welcomed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Tuesday evening at a star-studded fund-raiser in Beverly Hills.

Or as many of us would call it...A 'Bash the Republicans and Blame Them for All the Problems' get-together of the far left. The evening was not cheap, well at least in most our eyes, with each person shelling out $28,500 to attend.

Streisand, who is a darling of the Democratic Party in the entertainment world, reportedly sang four songs on the evening. They were: "When the Sun Comes Out," "Make Someone Happy," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and "Shining Hour." No word on if neighborhood dogs were warned ahead of time.

Streisand reportedly noted in between songs, "I'm not here to make a political speech... Tonight my thoughts are only personal... I can't wait for the morning on November 5th when the people who said 'Yes we can' wake up and say 'Yes we did.'"

The scene was reportedly packed with celebrities that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

Many of us hope and pray that Streisand will awaken on the morning of Nov. 5 and sing her newest hit..."I Got Yet Another Election Wrong."

Now that would be sweet music to many ears.

Photo: The Grosby Group (www.grosbygroup.com)

Maddow is Perfect Fit to Follow Olbermann

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events. In the midst of a heated political race, we will also take a look at times at how TV is covering it. Tonight, we take a look at MSNBC and its newest star, Rachel Maddow.

It should come as no surprise that MSNBC recently dropped (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090800008.html
Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann from its primetime political coverage. Even a news outlet as far to the left as MSNBC was losing viewers with its unbalanced coverage of the two parties fighting it out for the White House.

Now we will admit that we tune into MSNBC from time to time to hear the 'other side' and see where they are coming from.

But even a few minutes of watching some of the MSNBC anchors is like attending a Howard Dean boot camp. Blame the Republicans for all the country's ills, blame America for all the problems in the world, and instead of coming up with solutions on how to fix issues, just blast the other side because you have no solutions. We know, MSNBC and Barack Obama seem to have much in common.

While Olbermann, who is appropriately aligned with his "Oddball" segment makes no hiding of his liberal leanings, we had held out hope that the newest prime time host, Rachel Maddow, could at least look at things objectively. We know she leans heavily left, but we thought maybe she would bring a little more objectivity to the anchor chair. Surely she could not be as bad as Olbermann, right? Wrong!

After watching one segment this evening where she assailed Mc Cain, we see that nothing much has changed in recent weeks at the network.

While Maddow's passion for politics is great, her biased views are almost as over the top as Olbermann's. We have noted before when we think the Republicans are wrong, and we will continue to do so. But all we ask is that those on the left call it straight down the line and admit when Obama, Biden and Democrats get it wrong. It lends itself to something known as credibility.

Maddow, 35, a political commentator who can be heard daily on the Air America Radio network (a liberal talking points production) and has served as a guest host for Olbermann, is obviously being groomed as the female version of Olbermann.

While Olbermann has used President Bush as his punching bag, check out this little tidbit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KbcBAce17A&feature=related) from Ms. Maddow on Ronald Reagan.

Funny how after all these years, those on the left still show their hatred for Reagan.

Yes, Ronald Reagan who defeated the peanut farmer from Plains. You remember Jimmy Carter, right? The president who let our hostages sit in prison cells around Tehran for more than a year. Funny how Maddow forgets to mention that little tidbit in the above-mentioned clip.

And then there is the Ronald Reagan who helped end the Cold War, helped stop the spread of communism in Central America, brought the American economy out of its Jimmy Carter woes, and despite Ms. Maddow's claims, spent $5.7 billion on AIDS research, starting in 1983. The same disease that has had a major grip on a certain lifestyle in this country, the gay community, of which Maddow is a proud member of.

We know Maddow fits right in at MSNBC and that she will probably deliver decent ratings for the network.

In the end, though, Maddow may want to take a step back and look at things a little more objectively before doing the 'blame the right' song and dance that is a top hit at MSNBC. Then again, we're not holding out much hope.

BlogCatalog.com Moderators Show Bias

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events. Sometimes we even have to respond to outrageous claims.

Such is the case with Blog Catalog (www.blogcatalog.com). We were having some spirited debates with our friends on the left over the last couple of weeks about the upcoming presidential election. Then out of the blue, we got this note below from someone who will likely claim they are an 'impartial' moderator on the site. The note goes as follows:

from TonyB (a moderator on blog catalog) @DaveT, please type so people can explain what you are saying. Use caps at the beginning of sentences. Your run on sentences make no sense and you take things out of context just to annoy people here. The BC community has certain guidelines and standards. I've asked you to please adhere to them. I am blocking you from the discussions for a period of time. If, and when, you decide to come back, please read the guidelines and show respect to other members. Thanks

Well, we can't say we are surprised. The discussion room is loaded with those on the left who think their candidate for president (Barack Obama) and their views are just superior to everyone else. And God forbid if you should actually go into their den and challenge them on some of these views.

But the biggest thing we've noticed on the left is how sensitive everyone is. So instead of allowing for a free discussion of thoughts, and even acknowledging when we praise their views, we're told that we're not respectful towards the left, we say things that make no sense, and we take things out of context just to annoy people.

Well, in the fairness of an open society and what they would likely claim is a free forum, we would like you to take a look at some of the posts on there (see link below) and see for yourself if we (davet) should not be allowed to state the 'other side's' point of view.

www.blogcatalog.com/politics/discuss/entry/funny-mccain-used-to-think-that-being-mayorgov-wasnt-enough

As always, thanks for reading.

UPDATE: Train Crash Kills at Least 17 Outside L.A.

At least 17 people were killed Friday evening outside of Los Angeles when a commuter train and freight train hit head-on.

The Metrolink train reportedly departed Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and was going northwest to Moorpark in Ventura County. The trains impacted at about 4:30 p.m. in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley.

Resuce crews were working into Saturday morning still searching for any survivors along with bodies that may still be on the wrecked Metrolink commuter train. Authorities say more than 100 people were injured.

Overnight, rescue teams worked with hydraulic jacks to keep the passenger car from falling over and other specialized rescue equipment to slowly break into the metal.

Mom Pleads Guilty to Michigan Escape Charge

The California mother who was arrested three decades after authorities say she escaped a Michigan prison pled guilty to an escape charge Tuesday. In doing so, Susan LeFevre will be sentenced on Sept. 24 in Wayne County, Michigan.

LeFevre was returned to Michigan earlier this year after authorities were tipped off to her whereabouts. The 53-year-old was married and had raised a family with her husband in San Diego.

LeFevre is presently serving at least 5 1/2 years of what was left on her original sentence in Michigan for selling heroin more than 30 years ago.

Authorities claim LeFevre had only served about one year of a 10- to 20-year sentence before scaling a prison fence in 1976 and starting a life on the run.

Obama Supporter Stoops to New Low on Palin

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP. This is another story on the current race for the White House.

We thought we had heard most of the trash the liberal media and others on the left would throw at Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin over the last week. Well, the garbage keeps coming.

On Friday, an original member of Barack Obama’s finance committee said that Palin is placing her career above her family by accepting the nomination as John McCain’s running mate.

According to FOX News, (www.foxnews.com) Howard Gutman made the case on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” telling Ingraham that the Alaska governor should focus her time and efforts on her unwed, pregnant teenage daughter.

“If my daughter had just come home at 17 years old and said, ‘Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant, we have a family problem,’ I wouldn’t say, ‘You know what we’re going to do? We’re going to take this private family problem … I’m going to go on the international stage and broadcast it to the world’,” he said.

Gutman later said: “If you take a daughter who’s got this emotional strife and subject her to the most intense scrutiny of the world at this time in her life, I think you’ve put your career above your family.”

The Obama campaign had the smarts and decency to reject Gutman’s comments.

“Obviously these comments do not reflect our frequently stated, crystal-clear view that families of the candidates should be off limits, and we hope that supporters on both sides will act accordingly,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in an e-mail, pointing out that Gutman has apologized in a statement to ABC News.

Earlier in the week, Obama said anyone passing along rumors about Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy would be fired.

“I think people’s families are off limits, and people’s children are especially off limits,” Obama said. “This shouldn’t be part of our politics.”

We commend Obama for doing the right thing and saying Palin's family is off limits, as should be Obama's.

The left is looking for anything to sink its teeth into on Palin because she is a threat to their way of life. The irony here is that McCain, not Palin, is at the top of the Republican ticket. Perhaps, the left sees Palin being a force in the Republican Party for years to come and wants to neutralize her now?

Stick to the records if you want to criticize someone and get on with it.

We are still amazed how so few women on the left have come out in support of Palin. You certainly don't have to agree with her record and views, but you would think the Democratic Party, which has championed women's rights and causes for decades, would be a little more supportive.

Then again, this is the left we're talking about.

Another Reason Not to Watch Oprah

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP. This is another story on the current race for the White House.

When we heard the news that Oprah Winfrey doesn't want to book Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin (pictured to the left) on her show, well, we can't say we are surprised.

Oprah reportedly told staff members, half of whom reportedly want Palin to visit, no to having the Alaska governor as a guest. The bigtime Obama supporter apparently doesn't want her audience to hear both sides of the November election argument.

This is the same Oprah who last year blocked a visit on the show by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, timed to a promotional tour of his autobiography.
Now we know the queen can decide just who she wants on her own show. But in the interest of fairness, doesn't it seem a little biased not to invite Palin.

Then again, maybe Oprah feels a little threatened by Palin. Come on, Oprah, we know you're a tough old lady. Have the courage to have Palin on and let your audience decide their choice this November.

And by the way, Palin is not running against your boy Obama.

Nude Sunbathers Fight for Rights at State Beach

The right to bare it all at one Southern California beach continues to be a hot topic.

On Wednesday, state parks officials filed a notice of appeal seeking to overturn a judge's ruling from last week that nude sunbathers on San Onofre State Beach can only be cited if a private citizen complains.

The ruling from Orange County Superior Court Judge Sheila Fell backs the same policy that has been on the books dating back to 1979. However, complaints of lewd behavior had brought a crackdown by state parks officials earlier this year. Parks officials said they would ban nudity as of Sept. 2.

According to a parks spokesperson, they respectfully disagree with Fell's ruling.

Media Lovefest with Obama and the Dems

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP. This is another story on the current race for the White House.

We knew there would be a huge bias this week by the media against the Republicans and their get-together in Minneapolis-St. Paul. We just didn't realize it would be so over the top.

After watching a few minutes of MSNBC's coverage of the convention last night, you could just feel the heartburn inside of Keith Olbermann, having to actually be around so many Republicans at one time. Come on, Keith, lighten up a little bit and be thankful that you have the freedom to make your far left rants and raves on a nightly basis.

Now, we learn that Us Weekly, a magazine some of us didn't even know was still around, has really 'left' out mainstream America with its latest attack on Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

For its most recent cover, due out on newsstands this Friday, the magazine displays a picture of Palin with the headline, “Babies, Lies & Scandal.” That is quite the contrast from its lovefest two months ago with Barack and Michelle Obama.

Us Weekly publisher Jann Wenner, who has donated more than $130,000 to the Democratic Party in the last 15 years, is a well-known supporter of Obama and the Dems. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you want to be taken seriously, you might want to try and offer a little more balance.

As long as we're not talking about corruption in office, what Palin's home life is like is the business of her and her family. The fact that she has a pregnant 17-year-old daughter is her business and that of her family. Even Obama had the decency to say the kids were off limits.

CNN's John Roberts asked the other night that if McCain and Palin are elected in November, would the Alaska governor be able to be a good mother to her baby son, who has Down's syndrome, while being Vice President at the same time? If you ever wondered before if Roberts leans left, now you know.

At the end of the day, John McCain's experience and ability to reach across party aisles makes him a better choice to be President. As for Sarah Palin, give the woman a chance and you might just like what you see. That is if the left leaning media will give you the truth.

War Vet Arrested in Death of Girlfriend, 19

Police allege that an Iraq war veteran beat his 19-year-old girlfriend to death in a San Clemente condo.

According to authorities, John Wylie Needham, 25, who was awarded a Purple Heart for a combat injury last year, was arrested late Monday evening after allegedly struggling with sheriff's deputies who went to the condo on the report of an argument. Needham, who was in the Army for about two years, was reportedly subdued with a Taser.

Once inside, police reportedly found the body of the woman, later declared dead at San Clemente Hospital.

Palin Choice Opens New Frontier for McCain

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP.

While we were on vacation on the East Coast last week, we all saw the news of John McCain's pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for vice president.

Here are some thoughts from one Republican, your site's author.

* While the pick surprises many, we think it is a good, safe choice. Although some may question her experience, she does not come with a ton of Washington baggage, something many voters will find refreshing.

* She underlines Barack Obama's contention that 'Change' is needed in Washington, D.C. After speaking countless times about bringing change to the country and getting away from the Beltway Boys, what did Obama do in his pick for VP? He chose Joe Biden from Delaware as his running mate. Biden is someone who has experience, but is a definite insider and has Washington written all over him. Obama also likely selected Biden because of his (Obama's) lack of foreign policy experience.

* Palin will not win over 18 million Hillary supporters, but she gives women out there a second look at the November election. Being the mother of five kids, while she may be governor of our 49th state, she is also someone many moms out there can relate to in one way or another.

* While we liked Romney, the pick of Palin shows that McCain is not afraid to go outside the box. This could prove key if elected in that he will reach across party aisles and actually get some work done on behalf of the country.

* Although we are a pro-choice Republican, we do not believe abortion rights is anywhere near the top of the importance ticket. The economy, fighting terrorism and lessening our dependency on foreign oil are much higher topics of importance in our mind.

In all, we liked the pick, and think that November just got a little more interesting.