Thursday, April 10, 2003

Security Is As Security Does This is bizarre/scary/insane: The security personnel at the Delta airlines terminal at JFK airport recently forced "a woman to drink three bottles of her own breast milk and justified the demand by claiming that there could be explosives in the bottles." Brilliant!  Thankfully she hadn't packed urine samples. The BBC reports on more acts of security stupidity in an article posted this evening.  Another viewpoint is posted on ABC News' site. 9:57:57 PM     |

Censorship Is American? One of my favorite movies of all time is Bull Durham.  Although I'm not a huge baseball fan, the movie is guaranteed to put me in a good mood whenever I need one.  Bull Durham is also having its 15th anniversary soon.  To honor this occasion, the National Baseball Hall of Fame was going to have a celebration for what is considered one of the best sports movies ever made.  Emphasis on "was going to." Dale Petroskey, president of the Hall of Fame, changed his mind.  He changed his mind because he says that Tim Robbins' (one of the stars of the movie) "very public criticism of President Bush ... helps undermine the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in even more danger." He then sent a letter to Robbins and his wife, Susan Sarandon, who also starred in the film, letting them know they were no longer invited to attend and he was canceling the whole affair.  No celebration, period, for Bull Durham. Put our troops in danger?  Is Robbins reporting back to Baghdad about how to infiltrate Hollywood?  And why cancel the whole thing just because you don't like that one of the stars of the movie isn't backing the war in Iraq? Essentially he's upset that Robbins' has exercised his right to free speech, something this country is proud of, and is afraid Robbins might exercise it at the Hall of Fame (which most likely would never have happened).  How very American of him.  Nothing says America like censorship.  In fact, if you're not American enough, don't bother trying to speak your mind.  And don't bother visiting the Baseball Hall of Shame. Sarandon responded by saying, "This was just a celebration, a chance to see some friends from the movie and make what's become almost an annual trip with our boys.  I'm not sure what he was so scared about. As far as I knew, we weren't speaking. I wasn't even planning to wear makeup. And to politicize baseball," she added, "is to violate the spirit of what it's all about." Her husband added, "These kind of bullying, intimidating tactics have no place in democracy, and certainly no place in baseball. I'm still wondering what kind of message they were sending me and anybody else who happens to disagree with this president." Guess I shouldn't make plans to visit Cooperstown anytime soon. 8:26:33 PM     |

Admit It, You Know You Want To Now is your chance to spear Britney Spears.  Not that that hasn't already happened... By the way, did you know that Britney is both flexible and she smokes?  Proof is only a click away. Also, there seems to be no end to the list of people who aren't entirely fond of Miss Spears.  For example: I Hate Britney Spears Why I Hate Britney (kiddie porn princess?) I Hate Britney Spears (original, I know) We Hate Britney Queer (this is a good example of what I wrote about yesterday) I Hate Britney Spears (the song) Bitchney Slutears Anti-Bitchney Forever Britney's Guide to Semiconductor Physics An Analysis of "Lucky" Yikes.  But then again, I probably have more talent in my left nipple than she has in her whole body.  But for the record, I don't want to spear Britney, even with someone else's ten foot spear.  Live and let live, I always say.  That doesn't mean she has to keep singing, though. 7:03:18 PM     |

© Copyright 2005 Alex L. Mauldin.