"Daddy, I Do NOT Want A Boat Like This!" (Or: Look! That Guy Was Only Pretending To Be One Of The Zombies So They Wouldn't Eat Him!)

Hey Kids! How's everyone's summer going so far? Yeah, same here. Until this past weekend, the average daily temperature here in the Fresno area for the month of August was 103.5. Is it October yet? But I'm wandering again. We're not here to talk about the weather - are we? Let's talk POLITICS! (And I'm also going to try something new. Hold on to your hats: I'm going to be BRIEF. *gasp* I know, right?)

So today's "Presidental-Election-Year-OMG-I-Can't-Believe-That-Just-Happened-What-Were-We-Talking-About-Yesterday?" seismic attention grabber is the announcement that former Florida Governor Charlie Christ will speak at the Democratic National Convention. I hear cries of "So what?" Well, it's kind of unusual for a Republican politician to take the stage there. (Okay, technically Crist is an Independent, but you're getting ahead of me.) So naturally, there has been a LOT of indignant spluttering and mystified head-scratching going on among the Conservative set today.

Personally I don't get what all the fuss is about. The announcement makes perfect sense to me.

You are looking at a very rare animal -
a politician on the Right ready to play ball with his colleagues on the other side of the stadium!

Taxes, Shmaxes! (OR: Hey Fresno! Guess What The CCSPCA Has Been Doing With YOUR Taxes?)

Remember my last post? I'm guessing lots of you do, because the tally of people reading it keeps climbing. The numbers are now far beyond anything else I've ever posted. But I digress... 

Here's the real scoop: I recently unearthed a decision issued by the United States Tax Court that fills in a lot of blanks in that story. More importantly, the court's ruling verifies many of the conclusions I reached in my previous story about Leroy Combs, former (and frequent) member of the CCSPCA Board of Directors and – by its own admission – one of the shelter's highest paid vendors. The decision also raises lots and lots of questions about who knew (or knows) what in local government and why they've been silent about these gross abuses of taxpayer money.

"What Is The CCSPCA Hiding?" Google Knows - And You Can Too

Since the CCSPCA abruptly announced two weeks ago that it was canceling its contracts with the City of Fresno and Fresno County to “focus on its core mission of preventing cruelty to animals,” many members of the community have been asking, “WTF? Why would an organization like the CCSPCA - which claims to be about helping animals above all - suddenly abandon a relationship with local government after more than four decades? Why, if they have nothing to hide, have they chosen to walk away - rather than stand and defend their position?"

I believe I've discovered part of the answer to that question. And in terms of things an organization that enjoys a "Public Support Percentage" of "97.590 percent" might want to keep hidden, it's a real whopper. (Incidentally, that "97.590 percent" comes directly from the CCSPCA's 2010 tax return.) If members of the City Council or the Fresno County Board of Supervisors were allowed to sit on the CCSPCA Board of Directors, they would most certainly begin asking questions about some of the things that any Fresno County resident with a computer, Internet access and a curious nature can easily discover for themselves.

What's going on in this building - and why did it cost $50,000 to $75,000 a year?

Curses! Oiled Again! (Or: The Terrorist In The $1,895 Armani Suit)

Okay everyone. Gather round the old monitor and pay attention. You’re about to see two things happen. First, I’m going to put the blatantly unapologetic rape of the American consumer currently taking place in terms that even the most simple-minded, reality-television-watching bumpkin should be able to understand. And second, I’m not only going to take Barack Obama to task for failing to come up with a realistic solution to the problem, I’m going to fact check him on what he’s recently said – hard. (Yup. You read that right - It's time for some tough love Granny Clampett-style.)

"I'm gonna need a bigger switch..."

A Turd By Any Other Name… (Part One)

(Fair warning: Here be there politics!)

Good morning class! Before we begin, you’re going to want to put on your protective gear – because it’s about to get ugly and potentially dangerous in these parts. And since I love you all, I wouldn’t want to see anyone lose an eye from flying shrapnel.

Everyone ready? Okay. Stand back. I'm about to really take a sledgehammer to the Hummer: As far as I'm concerned, the most nefarious crime committed by the Bush Administration is reframing the debate on a number of issues by conducting an insidious, but well-coordinated campaign to change the terms, or words, involved. (Thanks for the assist Fox News, Bill O’Really?, Rush “I-Should-Burn-In-Hell-But-I’ll-Probably-Wind-Up-In” Limbo and Glenn “Chicken Little” Blech!) 

This clever but nasty policy had the end result of making it impossible to discuss a number of topics without having said discussion on THEIR terms. In some extreme cases, after the new term had become widespread, it became impossible to debate some issues at all without appearing to be a seditious troublemaker.

"Curses! Foiled again!