Al Franken was wrong

Rush Limbaugh is not a big, fat idiot. He is a big, fat piece of excrement. How dare he accuse Michael J. Fox of "acting" or "exaggerating" the symptoms of his Parkinson's Disease for political gain? Even if he skipped his medication to show the people what Parkinson's really looks like, good for him. Let's remember that his medication only lessens his symptoms, they're not a cure and like most maintenance medications, come with the cost of often devastating side-effects.

Again and again, Fox courageously puts himself in the public eye, with all of his symptoms on display, to help find a cure for himself and all the others afflicted with Parkinson's. I'll bet he doesn't care which party supports stem-cell research, he just wants it to become legal. It's not a political fight, it's a fight for his life. And as an aside, it is pitiful that politics has found its way into medicine. From what I've seen of politicians in the last decade, they have no business proclaiming what is moral and what is not. You have to suppose that if stem-cell research provided a cure for head-up-your-ass-itis, even the Republicans would endorse it.

But I digress. I only have a sketchy understanding of Fox and his fight against Parkinson's. But human suffering is universal. Anyone with a progressive, potentially terminal diagnosis essentially goes through the same process. And anyone who qualified as a human being would understand that and applaud Michael J. Fox for his continued work for a cure. It's sad that Rush has to "exaggerate" his lack of compassion to get his spawn-of Satan face back onto the front page.

On the lighter side....

Dancing with the Stars. It's time for Jerry to go. Give the poor man a rest.

Back to the serious....

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/19/60minutes/rooney/main2107456.shtml

Filling in for the Supreme Wisdom of the Queenosheba, it's Andy Rooney. Either watch the video or read the transcript. Then forward this link to your congresspeople and senators.

Methinks she doth whine too much

I was so disappointed by last Thursday's episode of "Grey's Anatomy". It had so much promise and all that happened was Meredith whined, Izzie moped and Derek was a moron. This stuff is the same stuff that's been going on since the first episode of the season!

What the hell did Meredith do with all the time she took off to recover from her appendectomy? It had to be at least three to six weeks. Instead of getting caught up with "General Hospital", she might have picked up the phone and called Derek to let him know she'd given Finn the boot. Did she really think that McDreamy was just sitting around, McDreaming about her? Then she whines about it all day long and when she finally gets a chance to say something, she behaves like she's in third grade. Please. Get your damn hair out of your face, Meredith and act like a woman!

And Izzie has grieved long enough. Laying on the bathroom floor in the prom dress and the muffin baking marathon was more than sufficient. Perhaps her friends should have called for a psych consult after she stood outside the hospital all day long. And this week, she just roamed around the hospital whining about her 8.7 million inheritance and what to do with it. I've got an idea, why not give Meredith a couple hundred to get a haircut? Come on, Izzie, you had the balls to get out of the trailer park and get through medical school debt-free. Get over Denny, put the damn check in the bank and go back to work.

Derek is no longer McDreamy. He's McAnnoying. You love Meredith. Yet you're still agonizing over Addison and McSteamy. Maybe you need a psych consult too. Meredith's revelation in the elevator right after Addison's confession should have made for a passionate, relieved embrace, but no, we have to drag this whole thing out until November sweeps. Sigh.

Even Bailey and Callie (my two favorite characters) were annoying. Bailey caved into that smug doctor's accusations about her hormones and Callie felt guilt over taking a ride on the McSteamy Express. I'm hoping for a better episode this week. The more I watch "Grey's", I find myself longing for the end of the World Series and the return of "House".

THE SUPREME WISDOM OF THE QUEENOSHEBA

Put down the remote and pick up a book.

Antonio vs. Mario

My kids and I are huge fans of "Dancing with the Stars". We got into the show last year when Jerry Rice was on and now they love to watch it because of Emmit Smith. And they know that I am totally infatuated with Mario.

So, Saturday night, we're watching "Take the Lead" with Antonio Banderas and while I was drooling, my youngest son asks, "Mom, who do you like better... Antonio or Mario?"

Hmm. That's not an easy question to answer. Let's weigh the pros and cons:

1. Age Mario is ten years younger. Antonio is 3 years older. Ten years younger means stamina and that means uh... let's call it dancing... at least two or three times a night. But Antonio has experience, which usually translates into more staying power in the ballroom if you get my drift and let's face it, I'm usually so tired I'd only be up for one dance a night anyway.

2. Physical Condition Hands down or hands on, it's Mario. Antonio may be buff and look fine in his tuxedo but 46 naked will never by 33 naked. Mario's skin probably still has a lot of elasticity and as you can see in the above photo, the boy is CUT! I bet you could bounce a quarter off his ass.

3. Talent/Intelligence Compare their resumes at www.imdb.com. Antonio totally comes out on top in this category. Sure, not all of his movies were blockbusters, but he's made some excellent career choices. He can sing, dance AND act. Mario just looked hot in his one-piece wrestling outfit on "Saved by the Bell". And if you watch the behind-the-scenes training on DWTS, you'll see that when he's not shaking hips hot enough to fry an egg on, he's acting like a 10 year old boy. Sure, Antonio isn't afraid to be silly (Puss in Boots in "Shrek") but he's a grown-up and you'd never use his name and "boy" in the same sentence.

4. Smolder factor Mario simply does not have it. Even when he's making moves that make you picture him writhing naked on your sheets, he doesn't have what it takes to make a woman melt. Just one look from Antonio and I have change my dancing tights. Add the accent to the look and all you want to do is tango forever with the man.

Sure, if my husband ever passed away and I had all the insurance money and needed a "Juan, the Cabana Boy" to go on a cruise with, I'd choose Mario. But for the long run, it would be Antonio who will probably be just as sexy at eighty as he is now.

THE SUPREME WISDOM OF THE QUEENOSHEBA

I need to get a life. Seriously.

Vast right wing conspiracy and true forgiveness

Years ago, when Hilary Clinton spoke of a vast right wing conspiracy, I laughed like this... "Ha, ha, ha." Even though I am a liberal through and through, I don't believe in conspiracies, vast or otherwise, even if the Smoking Man is present. However, as the Bush years drag so slooooowly by, I'm beginning to believe Hilary.

First, there was the whole "War on Terrorism" includes Iraq hoax. Then, after the 9/11 commission finished their work, there was sharp criticism of the Clinton administration and it's lack of agression regarding Osama Bin Laden. Hmmm. When Clinton tried to kill Osama, didn't the Republicans claim he was only doing so to divert attention from his shennanigans with Miss Lewinsky, that there was no real threat coming from that quarter? And now when it looks like they might be blamed for the lack of national security, they want to make it look like it was their idea to kill Osama and not Clinton's.

But the one that absolutely kills me is this whole Foley scandal. The dude smugly prided himself on protecting our innocent children while he was trying to lure them into bed! So, what do the Republicans do to cover their asses? Oh, he was molested when he was a child, he's gay and he's an alcoholic. Because being a drunken, homo victim sounds so much better then pedophile. Did the Democrats claim that Clinton had can't-keep-little-Willy-in-his-pants-itis? Uh, no. Clinton, after making the initial mistake of lying, took his medicine like a man. But enough about the idiots running our country.

After the Amish school shootings last week, the Amish people forgave the gunman, invited his widow and children to attend the funerals of their children, attended his funeral and when a fund was set up for their hospital bills, they demanded one be set up for the gunman's family.
It is humbling to see such strong faith and conviction in one's religion and way of life. I know I could never forgive the murderer of one of my children. Even though I know it's the right thing to do, especially if he or she were mentally ill, I don't think I could do it. Everyone could learn a lesson about faith, love and simple human kindness from these fine people.

THE SUPREME WISDOM OF THE QUEENOSHEBA

Random acts of kindness do make a difference. What was that saying, "although you may not accomplish great things, you can do small things with great love."

Yeah, Hitler was big on banning books, too.

Only ignorant people ban books.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464/

This woman in Georgia wants to ban Harry Potter books from the library because she believes they are an evil attempt to indoctrinate children in the Wicca religion. She is the mother of four and a total moron. I've only read one Harry Potter book and see a story of overcoming typical childhood adversities in an extraordinary setting. Harry is kind to his friends and strives to do well at school. And if he had parents, he would be respectful to them, too. As the Board of Education pointed out to this narrow-minded twit, if they banned every book in the library that referred to witches, they'd have to throw out "MacBeth" and "Cinderella" too.

One of the reason that kids are fascinated with magical stories is the magic makes them feel powerful in a world where they are virtually powerless. When I was a kid, I wished for "Bewitched" or "I Dream of Jeannie" powers to complete my housework. Of course, it didn't work, but it didn't have me out in the backyard drawing pentagrams either. I also wish I was orphaned and discovered a "Secret Garden". That's what fiction is for. Imagining yourself in other worlds and other lives.

And reading sure beats the hell out of watching TV or playing violent video games. The beauty of the "Harry Potter" series is how it encourages kids to read a lot, because those books are huge. And, Miss Holy Roller, if you've raised your children in a strong Christian home, their faith should be able to withstand a little fantasy, just like yours does when you look, but don't touch the hot fifth grade male science teacher at the middle school.

THE SUPREME WISDOM OF THE QUEENOSHEBA

Throughout history, most book burnings and/or bannings have been executed by people who fear things that they cannot understand or beyond their experience. Read the Harry Potter series with your children and discuss the issues addressed that are relevant to them, such as the struggle between doing the right thing or giving into the dark side (i.e., peer pressure).