The St. Petersburg Times continues to be a huge thorn in Scientology’s side. Their Sunday edition reported horrific stories told by former Scientology members who have left the cult. Or should I say when they TRIED to leave the cult. It is part one of another three part series that they are continuing to run in addition to their Truth Rundown Series that they ran back in June.

Once again these former members were in Scientology for years and years and held very prominent positions.

The ex members talk about the two ways that a member can leave the cult. Which are called “routing out” or “blowing”.

If members have doubts and have decided they want to leave, Scientology has a procedure called routing out. To route out of  the cult is of course Scientology’s preferred method. Reason being…. there is a good chance that you will end up staying in the cult because of Scientology’s continued manipulation, brain washing, emotional distress and they also tell members that they are giving up their chance at eternity. It also gives the cult the chance to have a leaving member sign a “pumped up” affidavit. (which Scientology will embellish) This affidavit along with confidential and personal information that is in a member’s file, while  in turn will be used against them if they choose to speak out. 

Scientology member’s personal and intimate information is acquired through auditing sessions and “sec checks” and kept in a member’s ”PC file” which is held by the cult. Actor Jason Beghe who left the cult has asked for his files back, and as far as I know, has not received them back as of yet. Correct me if I am wrong.

Scientology has continued to prove that they do in fact use this tactic every time they respond to any ex member’s story that has gone public. Former member’s confidential information was not only printed in Scientology’s edition of their Freedom Magazine for all other members to read, but this time around member’s information along with out right lies and were used by Tommy Davis in his response to the SP Times latest stories. Former member, Oscar winner and actor Paul Haggis who has just recently left the cult, said this was one of the many reasons why he decided to leave. It was mentioned in a letter that her personally wrote to to Tommy Davis. So to any members still in… your information in your PC file is not safe!

Many members also tell of being chased and harassed by the cult for years. Not to mention the heart break of the family disconnection they have endured which continues today.

Basically, the more you know about the cult’s inner secrets and the higher position you hold, the more you will be sought after to come back. The cult is in fear that you will spill the beans on the cult’s activities. Well like it or not Scientology, there has been an awful lot of bean spilling lately.

When an ex member “blows”, it means to just leave and not follow proper cult protocol. It’s not that members are actually able to just walk out Scientology’s door, it means that many had to actually ESCAPE in secrecy to leave.

If a member routes out, it is a VERY long process. It involves “sec checking“. Which are hours and hours of being auditing on Scientology’s e-meter, which is short for Electropsychometer. This same exact unit is used on the general public at their Stress Test Tables, which you may see at a fair, flea market or city sidewalk.

Scientology not only considers the e-meter a religious artifact, they claim that this unit can help find a member’s area of distress and it can help address it and also cure it, as well as other ailments. Even claims of curing homosexuality.

According to Scientology, e-meters are also used in finding member’s past lives during auditing. Many members have claimed that some of their past lives were that of very well known pillars in history, such as Julias Caesar, or Ben Franklin, and so on. 

One former member, Steven Fishman, was convinced by auditors that he was the biological father of Jesus Christ and  to quote: “it was his responsibility to de-Christianize the planet by exposing the lie and the myth of the immaculate conception, and thereafter bring all of Christianity into Scientology as the largest FSM (Field Staff member) or conversion movement of planet earth.” 

His story is a must read if you haven’t read it. He sued the cult back in 1993. There also is a series of interview videos of Fishman, which I have watched more than once. I was in total amazement as to how far this cult can really brainwash someone. Most people think he is a total “moonbat”, but when I watched these videos, all I felt was sincere pity for the man. Thankfully Steven is deprogrammed (which was not an easy task) and out of Scientology for good.

So back to the e-meter….
In actuality, the e-meter is nothing more than a simple lie detector. The same unit which reveals that you were Elvis in a previous life, can also be used to tell if Scientology members have any “overts” or “withholds”, which in Scientology lingo is basically sins or crimes, and bad thoughts that a member has not told anyone. Which of course proves further that it is merely a lie detector. FYI…  it was also rated one of the top “most stupid inventions” by Life magazine.

Scientology lingo can be very confusing, and in the latest article of the SP Times (nicknamed by Scientology itself, as the SP stands for Suppressive Person), they included a small glossary of Scientology acronyms and lingo. Scientology lingo is not only VAST, but it is also plays a huge part in the cult’s secrecy. If someone was to read an entire paragraph of scieno speak, it would leave them scratching their head.

So back to routing out. It can be a very horrific experience for ex members, and some of these members were interviewed by the SP Times. They were asked to sign affidavits before leaving Scientology, and were subjected to horrendous treatment, and it took years for them to finally leave for good.

Here is a short summary on Part One from the SP Times:

For years, the Church of Scientology chased down and brought back staff members who tried to leave.

Ex-staffers describe being pursued by their church and detained, cut off from family and friends and subjected to months of interrogation, humiliation and manual labor.

One said he was locked in a room and guarded around the clock.

Some who did leave said the church spied on them for years.

Others said that, as a condition for leaving, the church cowed them into signing embellished affidavits that could be used to discredit them if they ever spoke out.

The St. Petersburg Times has interviewed former high-ranking Scientology officials who coordinated the intelligence gathering and supervised the retrieval of staff who left, or “blew.”

They say the church, led by David Miscavige, wanted to contain the threat that those who left might reveal secrets of life inside Scientology.

Marty Rathbun, a former church official and confidant of Miscavige, said the leader especially targeted those he had edged aside during his rise to the top or anyone he feared might threaten his position or the church if left alone on the outside.

When the church founder L. Ron Hubbard was in charge, “there were no fences,” Rathbun said. “If somebody blew, they blew. It wasn’t until these purges started with Miscavige — where he was creating enemies and people … became a threat to him — that we went into this overdrive scenario.”

Church spokesman Tommy Davis “categorically denied” Miscavige knew about or was involved in the pursuit of runaways or spying on former members. He said Rathbun and other former staff are liars, taking their own misdeeds and blaming them on Miscavige and the religion they have forsaken. He said they are trying to undermine Miscavige’s leadership even as he presides over unprecedented church growth.

Miscavige “redefines the term ‘religious leader,’ ” Davis said, while some of the Timessources are on the “lunatic fringe” of anti-Scientology. He said they are the real villains, who Miscavige dismissed for “suborning perjury, obstruction of justice and wasting millions of dollars of parishioner funds.”

He accused the Times of “naked bias” and engaging in tabloid journalism.

“You have a few petty allegations,” Davis said.

“In fact, all you have is a few people who left a religion after committing destructive acts and are now complaining about what they did while in the church.”

The story of how the church commands and controls its staff is told by the pursuers and the pursued, by those who sent spies and those spied upon, by those who interrogated and those who rode the hot seat. In addition to Rathbun, they include:

• Mike Rinder, who for 25 years oversaw the church’s Office of Special Affairs, which handled intelligence, legal and public affairs matters. Rinder and Rathbun said they had private investigators spy on perceived or potential enemies.

They say they had an operative infiltrate a group of five former Scientology staffers that included the Gillham sisters, Terri and Janis, two of the original four “messengers” who delivered Hubbard’s communications. They and other disaffected Scientologists said they were spied on for almost a decade.

• Gary Morehead, the security chief for seven years at the church’s international base in the desert east of Los Angeles. He said he helped develop the procedure the church followed to chase and return those who ran, and he brought back at least 75 of them. “I lost count there for awhile.”

Staffers signed a waiver when they came to work at the base that allowed their mail to be opened, Morehead said. His department opened all of it, including credit card statements and other information that was used to help track runaways.

• Don Jason, for seven years the second-ranking officer at Scientology’s spiritual mecca in Clearwater, supervised a staff of 350. He said that after he ran, he turned himself in and ended up locked in his cabin on the church cruise ship, the Freewinds. He said he was held against his will.

And then there’s the story of the cook, his wife and the movie stars.

Rather than try to cover this immense story, it’s best for you go to the SP Times yourself and read the entire coverage of  the alarming stories from ex members, Betsy Perkins, Mark Fisher, Don Jason, Gary Morhead, Jackie Wolfe, and Mike Rinder. There is more from Marty Rathbun and also the story from ex member Sinar Parman .

Sinar was not only the personal chef to cult founder L. Ron Hubbard, but he also was the personal chef of current cult leader  and high school drop out, David Miscavige and several Scientology celebrities including Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

The SP Times also have a very helpful who’s who in part one which gives you a small bio of former members.

Kudos to all the brave former members who are speaking out to help others. And a big thank you to Joe Childs and Thomas Tobin for once again helping to exposing this insidious cult. Hopefully this continuing exposure of the cult’s activities will get law officials to pay attention and finally get off their butts and do something about it.

Now of course Scientology always claims that the SP Times is guilty of bigotry and are completely biased.

Not true. They are reporting the stories from ex members and have included all of the cult’s responses. They have included all of the responses from Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis. A copy of the TEN PAGE letter that Davis wrote to the SP Times is also listed on their site. Which I have to mention that the response letter from Davis makes the cult look really quite bad once again. They have also included the responses from ex members to Tommy Davis’s response.

Part one of the SP Times series, is followed by the second part which came out this morning. Today’s story is called What Happened in Vegas. It also includes How Scientology Got To Bob Minton and more.

And up on deck for Tuesday from the SP Times, is part three, which will tell the ingenious escape from Scientology’s asbestos laden cruise ship the Freewinds by former member Don Jason who was the No. 2 cult officer in Clearwater. We will write up a small outline of parts two and three tomorrow, but again, please go to the SP Times website and read the former members entire stories and the cult’s responses.

To start from the very beginning of the St. Petersburg Times wonderful coverage on their entire  Scientology series starting with the The Truth Rundown which started back in June, click here.

It is getting to the point where Scientology is desperately trying to keep waves from coming ashore by shoveling them back into the ocean. The waves will not stop coming, no matter how hard they try to push them back. Scientology is literally drowning in a sea of lies and deception, and their time is running out.

Rapper Method Man, aka Clifford Smith, should have come up with a better method for paying his taxes. Like ummm.. I don’t…. like how about paying them?

Former Wu-Tang Clan member was busted for not paying over thirty grand that he owes in back taxes and they just caught up with him. If convicted he can face four years in jail.

Method was in a comedy sitcom called Redman and Method Man back in 2004, which was about two black rappers living in an affluent white neighbourhood. I happened to catch an episode, and it was one of the worst shows I have ever seen. Just not funny at all.

It has been said that Method and Redman did not have enough creative control over the show and they butted heads with Fox which caused the show to go into hiatus. But this show needed a LOT more funny and hasn’t been seen again. Of course Method claims that the show is on a “long hiatus”,  *snicker* I think we can safely say it is gone forever.

Perhaps Method was a little over zealous about the shows success and went on one too many shopping sprees. And this isn’t the first time trouble has come a knockin’.

He was busted back in 2007 in New York City for possession of marijuana , and now with a repossessed Linclon Navigator last year, Method better straighten out his sh*t. 

Eonline wrote:

Feud alert! Method Man and Uncle Sam just don’t see eye to eye.

The Grammy-winning rapper and former Wu-Tang Clan man was arrested today on felony charges of skipping out on $32,799 in taxes from 2004 to 2007. The star, also known as 38-year-old Clifford Smith, was immediately arraigned and released on his own recognizance.

Let’s not forget that this isn’t his first time in hot water for not forking over the funds.

In 2008, his Lincoln Navigator was repossessed for owing the government. His explanation for this occurrence, however, was a bit hazy (and you should take that literally).

“Myself, I’m a pothead,” he told the New York Daily News in March. “Sure [the tax department] sent letters to my house saying, ‘We need this money.’ They started sending them in 2002. Here it is, 2009, and I never paid this s–t because I don’t think like that!”

That’s too bad, because the rapper faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

“Taxes are the burden that all citizens share in a civil society, whether you are an ‘average Joe’ on the street or a high-profile rap artist,” District Attorney Daniel Donovan said in a statement. “Because of the alleged action of people like Mr. Smith, law abiding citizens face higher taxes and reduced government services. Failure to properly report and pay your taxes is a crime against all citizens and will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.”

Method Man is due back in court Dec. 9.

Maybe his new LP corroboration with fellow rappers Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon will take off. He also has a Grammy, a pretty successful acting career with a long list of cameo appearances under his belt.

While I agree that taxes totally suck. You have to pay up even though it is supposed to be voluntary, according to the way the laws were written. *HA! Yeah ok*

You better pay up and watch your spending Method. Invest your money wisely brother. You don’t need a fleet of cars, a giant entourage and all that mess. 

Don’t know why rappers and other stars have a tendency to over extend themselves with materialistic crap. Status symbols can’t pay the bills. Money goes out faster than it comes in these days, and popularity can be very fleeting and you can end up with everything repossessed down the line. *Hello MC Hammer*

And geez Method! Put down the blunts and fly right! Time to grow up brother before it’s too late.

It looks like the Feds have caught up with Cameron Douglas once again. Cameron is of course the son of actor Michael Douglas and Grandson of Kirk Douglas. Cameron was arrested back in 1999 and not too long ago in 2007 for possession of liquid cocaine. Well I guess that wasn’t good enough for Cameron because he has just been busted AGAIN on July 28th for selling meth out of a swanky Manhattan hotel, the Hotel Gansevoort. Through record wire taps and cell phones the DEA learned that Cameron was sending large quantities of meth through Fed Ex and passing them off as bath salts and pastries. How inventive.

NY Daily News reported:

He was busted at a Manhattan hotel last week after allegedly mailing 215 grams of methamphetamine to a post office box in a package addressed to a “Paul Smith.”

That was a fictitious name used by an informant – one of three the feds nabbed and turned against Douglas. The feds say the Hollywood scion used code words like “pastries” and “bath salts” to discuss meth shipments in secretly recorded calls and texts.

“Did you get a chance to…smell any of the salts or anything like that?” he’s quoted as asking an informant.

“The bath salts are fabulous! Thank you so much,” the informant later responded.

“Yeah, I thought you would like them, my friend,” Douglas replied. “I was so excited for you to take a bath and see for yourself.”

The feds also said one informant introduced Douglas to another as a source of “large quantities of crystal meth.”

Douglas’ rap sheet includes two drug busts, in New York in 1999 and in California in 2007.

Cameron was just dropped from the movie Beautiful Outsiders. He was not only going to act in the movie, but was supposed to produce it as well. This movie will be filming in the UK, which would have made it impossible for Cameron to participate. Besides the fact that he will be busy in court and then oh yeah… serving some sort of sentence. It has been reported that he may get a life sentence. And the crime he committed carries a mandatory ten year sentence. Ummm… Sorry, I am not buying it. His father is Michael freaking Douglas. His Stepmom is Catherine freaking Zeta Jones and his Grandfather is Kirk freaking Douglas. Am I coming through loud and clear? With Cameron’s wealthy family ties, I think he will be looking at a couple of months in a cream puff jail, (at best) and a lengthy probation with a few assorted lenient rules to follow. His family has more money than God, and I really don’t see him doing any serious jail time. Sadly,we all know that money talks and slaps on the wrist seem to be the route of  punishment for the rich and famous.

This simply shouldn’t be happening people. Cameron can have ANYTHING he can possibly want. He  insisted on selling drugs AFTER he got previously busted. He was dealing crap that will ruin people’s lives, and dreams. Many people who are blessed with wealth believe that they can live above the law. For one, I blame the justice system for spoiling them. If these people would receive more than a slap on the wrist, then maybe, just maybe this sort of favoritism in the courts would end.  And maybe so many young stars would not get mixed up with drugs if they knew they had to actually go to jail for a while. Whether they are dealing or just getting high, neither should be happening.

Besides, what wealthy person has to deal drugs to make ends meet? The kids of the super rich don’t have to work for that matter, if they don’t want to. Granted a lot of rich kids do want to work for themselves and make their own money, but even those kids already have an  “in” in the industry. They don’t have to waitress for endless years in the hopes of getting one tiny little break doing a commercial for Kotex. Everything is handed to them on a silver platter. Many can open up a restaurant, design clothes or whatever else their little heart desires, like for instance the little clothing boutique the Kardashian girls opened. (eeessh)
But to deal drugs to make more money when you are already stinkin’ rich? I think if this is the case, anyone guilty of dealing  drugs and your family is rolling in dough, then the guilty party should have to do double the time for the crime. Sorry. Would that be discriminatory? Yes.
But something has to be done as a deterrent so these young stars and other silver spoon kids can get a real taste of reality and realize that their Daddy’s money won’t get them out of every little jam they get themselves into.

Like Sammy Davis Jr. sang in the theme song for the vintage TV show Baretta…. ”Don’t do the crime…. if you can’t do the time”
Nuff said!

Three's Company, John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt

Three’s Company star, Joyce DeWitt who was well known for her role as Janet Wood, celebrated a little too much this past fourth of July. I decided not to show her horrible police mug shot. She looked like a scared frazzled deer in headlights, and sometimes I do have a heart. I think the vintage picture above from Three’s Company is just as appropriate. The looks on their faces say it all.
 
I guess the police thought her driving past a barricade was a big no-no, and rightly so. And then I heard a few days later, that Eddie Mekka, 57, known for his role as Carmine Ragusa aka “The Big Ragu” who starred on the Laverne and Shirley show, was also arrested for DUI after he got in an accident. What on earth is going on people? Geez! Take a cab or have a friend drive you home for cripes sake.

DeWitt who is now 60, and has been very active in theatre and charity groups, over the years. I checked out her website, but wasn’t very impressed. It is poorly made, with a skipping song loop, and she sells autographed pictures of herself for $25.00 plus shipping. I am not trying to be a biotch….. but I’ll pass. Sorry!

The Associated Press reported:

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – An actress who starred on the hit television series “Three’s Company” has been arrested in Southern California and cited for drunken driving.

Police say Joyce DeWitt, who played the character Janet Wood on the popular show, was pulled over Saturday afternoon after she drove past a barricade near a park in El Segundo.

Sgt. Danny Kim says an officer arrested the 60-year-old DeWitt after he observed signs she had been drinking and gave her field sobriety tests.

Kim says DeWitt was booked at the Police Department, cited and released on her own recognizance.

 

And on to Mekka… although Carmine was never one of my favorites on the Laverne and Shirley show, I used to love the way Shirley would shake her shoulders walking towards Carmine and would try to act sexy, so she could get her way.Worked like a charm every time! Even though they never did ”vo-dee-oh-doh”

Eddie Mekka who played Shirley’s beau Carmine on Laverne & Shirley, was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas.
According to reports, Vegas cops arrived on the scene Friday after getting a call about a ‘’suspected drunk driver” who had been in an accident. The ”Big Ragu,” 57, is actually not a has-been. The Massachusetts native says on his official website that he’s been busy doing a nightclub act, Off Broadway theater and some TV stuff (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).

The "Big Ragu" Back In The Day

Now I don’t know what the story is behind these arrests. Perhaps DeWitt never got over the drama of the Three’s Company Suzanne Summers fiasco. It couldn’t have been easy playing second fiddle to Chrissy and her little bouncing boobs.
Or maybe Mekka is still struggling after not being on a hit sitcom any more. One can only speculate.

I used to watch Three’s Company and Laverne and Shirley religiously back in the day. With John Ritter gone, (miss you John!) Suzanne Sommers being a breast cancer survivor, and now the arrests of DeWitt and Mekka for drunk driving, it just made me feel very sad. Hopefully these arrests are just a case of a little over indulgence and not a serious problem for the two. But famous or not, there is never a good reason for anyone to drink and drive. PERIOD.

NSFW – for reals.

It’s probably wrong that I think this is the greatest song ever and will likely induce a fair amount of violence and road rage, but the remix of Christian Bale’s “Terminator Tirade” gives me the giggles AND makes me want to dance.

Personally, my favorite part is the dripping sarcasm. If I wasn’t such a language prude (*cough, bs, cough*) I would totally use this to replace all of my usual conversations with those in my life. I am f*cking serious, what don’t you f*cking understand? I’ll f*cking kick your f*cking a**! Seriously, you and me, we’re done professionally!!!

Ok, I promise, I am done with this subject.

For today.

Oh, and at least one other person besides me is defending Christian. According to E! News the Asst. Director on the Terminator flick said Christian was just being arty and stuff, and that’s what real artists do:

Although Bale’s behavior makes us think twice about taking tea with the Brit, let alone working with him, Bruce Franklin, an assistant director and associate producer on the fourth Terminator film, tells E! News that Bale, a “consummate professional,” just had a bad day.

“If you are working in a very intense scene and someone takes you out of your groove…It was the most emotional scene in the movie,” said Franklin. “And for him to get stopped in the middle of it. He is very intensely involved in his character. He didn’t walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed.

“This was my second movie with Christian, and it has always been a good experience with him,” added Franklin, who also worked with the actor on 2000’s Shaft. “He is so dedicated to the craft. I think someone is begging to make some noise about this, but I don’t think it’s fair. The art of acting is not paint by numbers, it’s an art form.

See, that’s what I said, dude’s just being an artist. I also said something about doing dirty things to him to, but I was just being nice…and biased.

What? Shut the eff or I will kick you effing ass!

In our efforts to sanitize the world of all things unpleasant (can’t someone do something about Paris and Britney?) we are now embroiled in the next “Imusgate,” this time the offender/victim is Duane “Dog” Chapman from A&E’s “Dog the Bounty Hunter”. The show, as you can ascertain from the title, is about a bounty hunter, with camera’s following Dog and his extended bounty-hunting family as they track down criminals and bad guys on the loose.

I’ve caught the show a few of times (which has been canceled due to this flare-up) and not once have I picked up on any overt racial vibes from Dog or anyone in his family, that said, this audio clip is pretty damning. It seems Dog is angry with his son Tucker and goes off on a paranoid tirade, which in part attacks Tucker’s girlfriend, who happens to be black. What everyone seems to fail in seeing, is that if Dog and his family were TRULY racist, not in a trillion years would anyone, let alone Dog’s son, even associate with people of varying degrees of racial diversity. And they certainly wouldn’t date someone outside their racial circle.

Trust me, racists teach their children early on who they can or can’t date, if Duane hated any racial group, Tucker wouldn’t even entertain the idea.

I’ve listened to the audio and while it is offensive in its use of the “N” word, an offense on the ears and mind, the main feeling I got from Dog is that he far more paranoid than he is racist. His main issue is he is afraid that Tucker’s girlfriend will betray the family if an offensive word is uttered in her presence. Which, considering the salty and gritty nature of their world and social status, is pretty likely to happen within the everyday Chapman household. Not cool, but certainly not unexpected considering these people are bounty hunters who deal with the most unsavory elements of society. Proper etiquette and the King’s English does NOT apply.

And lo and behold, exactly what Dog is worrying about happened. Someone taped him going off and using socially unacceptable terms that “white” people should know better than to use, and then subsequently leaked said tape to the press to destroy “all he’s worked for.” Kind of ironic actually.

Fast forward and now we have that annoying race-baiter Rev. Al Sharpton being called into offer forgiveness to Dog and his racist ways. As though Al Sharpton is some kind of legitimate spokesperson for an entire race of people, never mind the fact that he has been found to be extremely racist himself, especially towards Jews.

The bottom line in all of this: you can’t regulate the minds and hearts of people by intimidating them over the use of a word which is still commonly used within a whole community and perpetuated by entertainers capitalizing on their “blackness.”

Dog should apologize to the young woman he was directing his offensive language at, Tucker’s girlfriend. He should apologize to his son for setting a really poor example of fatherly concern and he should commit himself to some inner soul-searching to determine why he is so paranoid and seems to be placing that ire and fear on an entire group of people, a group mind you, I have witnessed him helping, counseling, working with and comforting.

One final note on this matter, racial bias is something we all feel and must deal with. Stereotypes exist because a certain number of people perpetuate those myths, but a person with an open heart and mind knows better than to judge a person as an individual based solely on the color of their skin, rather than the nature of their character. Now that is racism in its most raw form. I don’t think that is who Dog really is.

But rest assured, there are PLENTY of people who are, and if we use the litmus test of who uses the “N” word to measure who is or who isn’t racist, we will miss all sorts of deceptively, sneaky, racist f*ckers who sanitize their language for their protection, while simultaneously harming people through their actions.

Does marrying a woman 24 years younger than yourself make you a creepy guy? No, being a creepy guy makes you a creepy guy.

Fred Thompson is one of the major Republican candidates making a bid to be the next President of the United States. As with all political contests, every aspect of a person’s life is dragged out and paraded around for the world to judge.

Some might know Fred Thompson as a Tennessee Senator, and a regular for such popular TV shows like “Law and Order.”

Here’s what I know about Fred Thompson. He’s been married twice, his second and current wife, Jeri Kehn Thompson, is 41. They’ve known each other since 1996, which means they “met” when she was 30 and he was 54. They have two young children.

Fred Thompson is pro-life, doesn’t consider crimes targeting gays as hate crimes, doesn’t want gay marriage or affirmative action for women or minorities. He’s all for greater penalties on drug-related crimes, supports funding for abstinence programs in schools. He’s no fan of the environment, he loves guns, thinks American’s should continue to pay more for health care, immigrants are ok if they are doing unskilled, manual labor, he’s opposed to raising the minimum wage and last, but not least, he completely agrees with President Bush’s policy in Iraq.

On a more positive note, he gets points for supporting the death penalty on violent crimes!

So the real question isn’t whether his much younger wife is a “trophy wife,” but rather, do we really need another “compassionate” conservative? And by compassionate, he means “F U blacks, gays, women, Mexicans, old people, poor people and middle-class people.”

Schweet! And no, I am not a bleeding heart liberal. In fact, I kind of like Mitt Romney, even though he’s a Morman.

In the continuing drama that is the life of Britney Spears, the latest news to pop up is that Britney’s ex, Kevin Federline, is going balls out to keep her from having custody of their two children, 23-month-old Sean Preston and 11-month-old Jayden James.

K-Fed may even be the responsible party behind the recent investigation by the DCFS and unscheduled hearing to discuss abuse charges. The DCFS is stating they have received several anonymous tips about possible abuse allegations in reference to Britney’s children while in her care. Some sources are claiming that while the abuse claims are not of a physical nature, she is neglecting her responsibilities as their mother, with charges ranging from the bizarre, but completely disgusting assertion that she does not brush their teeth (but uses Crest whitening strips WTF?), gives them booze to make them sleepy and compliant and keeps them up late so they won’t bother her in the morning.

I can totally see this happening. Just look at the above pic. While there is nothing particularly untoward about what’s happening to the untrained eye, as a mother I can see several things that are totally uncool. First and foremost, smoking in front of small children is a exceptionally selfish thing to do, secondly, having your cigarette dangle so closely to their faces is even worse. Then there’s the fact that this little man is completely unclothed outside when she knows there are paps climbing out her every orifice. Not to mention the blank and vacant expression on her face, which if you ask me, looks like someone whose been popping Natural Lite tabs all morning and possibly some Nyquil and Redbull.

And last but not least: Britney + that bathing suit. I guess that’s not really germane to this discussion, I just wanted to mention how much it offended me.

TMZ reports:

“An unscheduled hearing was held today at L.A. County Superior Court. Present — Britney’s lawyer, Dennis Wasser, K-Fed’s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan and a lawyer from the Los Angeles County Counsel who is assigned to the dependency court.

“We do not know the specifics of the allegations but we’re told the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services is conducting an active investigation.

“A hearing in the custody case has been scheduled for September 4, which will be a follow up to today’s appearance.

“A rep for Britney did not immediately return our request for comment.”

Well, that doesn’t sound good. *Sigh* I don’t know how many different ways I can say this, but I will give it another shot.

Britney is simply too stupid to be a mother. Or in other words, her intelligence quotient is such that she is incapable of making sound judgments when it comes to the care and concern of young minds still in the stages of being formed and molded. People of Britney’s mental abilities are typically assigned to making overpriced lightbulbs that are then sold to guilt-ridden members of society at a greatly increased markup. In summary, there are inanimate objects within our universe when in the presence of children have far more positive impact than Britney Spears. It’s as though she sucks the smart out of a room.

This is all very unfortunate and I feel sorry for her children, and certainly even Britney, who most likely loves her children. Though I imagine her love is akin to the way a toddler loves a new toy: intensely, but fleetingly. Sometimes, loving your children isn’t enough, you have to also be able to formulate appropriate thought patterns in such a way that coincide with basic social mores and scientific evidence available as it applies to child-rearing.

We all want our children to be quiet and compliant much of the time, but that doesn’t mean it’s ok to squander their braincells with booze and sugar, deprive them of sleep and deliberately rot out their teeth.

As strange as it is to say this, these two toddlers would be better off in the care of their father, who as we know, is Kevin Federline. AKA: K-Fed, Shifty McShiftless, Wangsta Extraordinaire, MacDaddy von Baller, Whorey El Whoremonger, ecetera and so on.

This simple fact alone may be the most glaring indictment of one’s failure at motherhood.

Photo Source: www.Britney.cl, visit for more in this series.

News stories are emerging today that Owen “The Butterscotch Stallion” Wilson made a failed suicide attempt this weekend and was transported from his Santa Monica home for emergency care after he was discovered by a family member with “superficial lacerations” on his wrists and an almost empty bottle of undisclosed pills near his person. Emergency personnel were contacted at approximately noon on Sunday and were dispatched to Wilson’s home where he was found unconscious.

No official statement has been disclosed to the press, but he is said to be with his brothers Luke and Andrew.

So, why would Owen, the purveyor of many a fine lady in Hollywood want to off himself? Was it Kate Hudson dumping his ass? Could it be his faltering career (You, Me and Dupree anyone?) or could it be a drug problem, as was hinted at by Malcolm McDowell on the radio this morning?

While being interviewed for his upcoming film Halloween, McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) spoke with Cleveland radio host Rover (talk show host for syndicated show “Rover’s Morning Glory“) and was informed of the suicide attempt by Wilson. In an off-the-cuff statement, McDowell said “that’s what that stuff will do to you.” Stuff being drugs, with cocaine being the implied drug of choice. McDowell later tried to re-clarify his statement by saying that he wasn’t sure if drugs were involved, but if they were, they could have contributed to Owen’s suicide attempt.

McDowell went on to say that Owen was one of the nicest fellows he’s worked with in Hollywood and hoped he was getting help. The two worked together on the film I Spy with Eddie Murphy in 2002. Maybe McDowell was speculating, or perhaps he knows more about the private Owen than we do.

This would hardly be the first casualty of Hollywood to succumb to the ravages of drug abuse, and if true, Owen wouldn’t be the first “funny man” to try to self-medicate his demons, especially with the “white lady” (John Bulushi, Richard Pryor, Chris Farley, Lenny Bruce, so on and so forth ad nauseam) but he isn’t the first person I would think of to attempt suicide.

You know what they say about the tears of clown…when no one’s around. Sad, sad, sad.

Owen, dude, seriously, what more do you want out of life? You’ve had half the panties in Hollywood, you are a working actor getting paid nice coin for your work and you are 50% responsible for the genius that is Wedding Crashers — don’t be greedy AND stupid. Stay away from the white lines man, get some help and find a nice girl to love, the rest will take care of itself.

It’s life, not rocket science. Sheesh.

UPDATE:  Owen has issued a statement to the press and is currently seeking treatment at Cedars Sinai Hospital in LA where he has been visited by his family, including brothers Andrew and Luke.

“I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.”

There’s no word yet on what led to the comedic actor’s suicide attempt, but stories are beginning to emerge of drug and alcohol issues from his not so distant past.  Star is citing a source who states that they were in AA with Owen, where he was seeking counseling for alcohol and drug related issues, especially prescription pills.  According to the source, as Owen’s career began to take off he was seen at the meetings less and less, and quit coming in 2006 altogether. 

It really is sad to watch someone as fun-loving as Owen Wilson seems to be battle a deadly addiction to alcohol — but it is NOT shocking considering his profession and environment.  Hollywood is no place for the weak.  Good luck man.

Joe Francis is still in jail and every time I think of that it confirms my belief in a higher power.

Apparently, the Girls Gone Wild creator isn’t having such a great time in jail. Having already spent 14 days in jail (Francis was taken into custody on April 10th at the Panama City Airport) he has been sentenced to 35 days (minus time served) in conjunction with his contempt of court charges stemming from a civil suit brought by seven underage victims claiming sexual abuse.

In court, the tearful Francis issued this apology and statement on the proceedings and contempt charges:

“I’m sorry for my behavior,” Francis said, wiping tears from his eyes. He said he was confused by an appeal his lawyers had filed and whether that meant he had to turn himself in. “That’s not an excuse. I should have just been there on time. I’m sorry. I really am. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.”

But there are more bad times ahead. Despite Francis’ lawyer Jan Handzlik’s efforts on behalf of his client to lessen the sentence to under 30 days, Judge Smoak would not concede. According to the article, 35 days exceeds 30 which is a magic number on his”criminal scoresheet” and makes him illegible for an additional year of jail time if Francis is convicted of federal tax evasion charges that were brought against him the state of Arizona.

Francis face further legal woes. After his contempt sentence has been served he faces additional charges of violating contraband restrictions for possessing prescription drugs and money while in jail. Since he is federal custody, those charges won’t be filed until his 35 day sentence is complete. Besides the tax evasion, contempt of court and contraband charges, Francis may also face federal charges in California for violating in that state in relation to not “keeping the proper paperwork showing that the performers in his “Girls Gone Wild” films were of legal age.”

To make matters worse, Francis’ cellmate, a man named Robert Bailey, is a convicted cop killer who has been sentenced to die, and has been taunting the soft porn peddler. Joe Francis suffers from an anxiety disorder and missed at least one drug cart round, plus he has been having trouble dealing with his cellmate wardmate [editors correction], who according to his lawyer Aaron Dyer, “would sit there and yell, ‘Girls Gone Wild! Joe Francis! Whoo!”

I realize that Joe Francis isn’t a mass murderer, or a drug cartel boss, or a serial killer or a whole host of other felonious things. But what he is, is a smut peddler and what he does, is target underage girls. He also thinks nothing of using his power and influence to take advantage of women who are minors and who are drunk, to humiliate and or, have sex with them — and to me, that’s almost as bad.

Can’t say I feel sorry for the guy, I can’t even admit to not feeling a twinge of joy at his expense. But hey, he broke the law, not me.