(Part One is here and Part Two is here.)Dregs of the Year Nominees
Collectively, the team owners of the oh-so-august NFL, who ruled from on high in March that there must be a players’ lockout (screw their goddamn self-importance and giving their fans the finger, as it were, once more – here...of course, the lockout was resolved)
Dregs of the Year Nominee
I realize that I could probably fill up this writeup at least twice over if I noted every stupid thing Sarah Palin ever said or did, but here, she bailed on a fundraiser for military families and their kids because of “safety reasons,” though – what luck! – May 2nd was the date of the fundraiser, which was also the date of the Republican presidential primary debate at the Reagan Presidential Library in California, so Just Plain Folks Sarah can go there instead (this woman is an absolute bottomless pit of narcissism…and I still say that despite the fact that Palin ultimately chose not to run).
Do Gooder of the Year Nominee
President Obama gets a nod for kicking his smoking habit, while holding down what is arguably the highest-pressure job in the world (short of illegal drugs, I don’t know of a worse addiction).
Dregs of the Year Nominees
Michael J. Avenatti is the lawyer representing most of1250 fans who attended the Super Bowl between Pittsburgh and Green Bay in Dallas – the NFL ended up having to “scramble” to find seats for 850 of the fans, while 400 “were forced to watch from standing-room locations around the stadium” (at the last minute, the league decided that the 1,250 seats were unsafe - here).
Given the fact that I said “lawyer” and “representing,” I’m sure you can tell where this is going (actually, about 1,000 fans are represented in the action as noted here).
Yes, the fans sued, and Avenatti is representing them.
So did the NFL “stonewall” them? Hardly. The league offered two options to the fans: The first was a ticket to next year's Super Bowl and a cash payment of $2,400, three times the face value of the ticket. The second was a ticket to any future Super Bowl, along with round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations.
In response, Avenatti is asking for $5 million in damages.
It takes an awful lot to get me to side with the National Football League on anything (see above), but I do here.
As a counter to the suit, I think the league should have extended the two options noted above for 72 more hours, but no more. And if Avenatti and his plaintiffs didn't take it within that time frame, they should have gotten absolutely nothing.
Do Gooder of the Year Nominee
U.S. House Repug Chris Lee of New York, who had the common decency to resign from public office as soon as a shirtless picture of him emerged on Craig’s List advertising for a date, as noted here (he’s married…are you taking notes, "Diaper Dave" Vitter? No, I figured not.)
Overlooked Fatal (And Near Fatal) Anniversaries of the Year
Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington in the face five years ago in January (and Cheney still hasn’t apologized, of course); also, Jean Harris was convicted of killing Dr. Herman Tarnower in February in 1981 (30th anniversary), and Swedish Prime Minister and cabinet official Olof Palme was assassinated on February 28, 1986.
Dregs of the Year Nominee
Kansas GOP State House Rep Connie O’Brien, who said here that she can determine who is illegal because of “the olive complexion” (gee, Connie, I don’t know – looks to me like you’ve been under the sun tan lamp a bit too long yourself…better watch it, or you might get deported).
Do Gooders of the Year Nominees
The NFL Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers “walk the walk” here in issuing a statement saying quite rightly that collective bargaining is “fundamental to the middle class,” in response to the “budget repair bill” of Wisconsin’s moronic Repug governor Scott Walker; the bill would severely limit collective bargaining and eliminate the right of unions to negotiate pensions, retirement, and benefits. When asked by a reporter what would happen if workers resist, Walker threatened to use the “National Guard” against a possible walkout.
And why is anyone surprised by this (Walker’s craven stupidity, I mean)?
Dregs of the Year Nominee
No, Repug U.S. House Rep Steve King of Iowa doesn’t get it for introducing an amendment to completely defund the health care law (though that’s bad enough). He gets it for introducing such a resolution, and then – wait for it! – voting “Present” when the rule of the chair upholding the point of order allowing the vote to defund takes place (don’t worry, David Waldman of Daily Kos explains here…House procedural stuff to the “Nth” degree).
So basically, he spouts off about how he wants to defund “Obamacare”…and then votes “Present” on his own amendment.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Dregs of the Year Nominee
South Dakota state representative Phil Jensen for this (what is wrong with these people?)…
Dregs of the Year Nominee (Possibly The Century)
The human misery once dubbed “Curveball” by Colin Powell, among others, who emerged in February to tell us that he’s proud that his lies led to the Iraq war (can’t think of a punishment short of death that is appropriate for this waste of DNA...here)
…and in a related story, as they say…
Dregs of the Year Nominee
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell for saying that “he wants answers” on the fact that the bogus “source” he used for supposed intelligence called “Curveball” in the run-up to the Iraq war recently said that he was happy, basically, that he lied his way into catastrophe (just a few years late on this one, I would say, scary-baking-soda-in-vial-at-the-UN man...here)
Dregs of the Year Nominee
The Central Bucks East school district gets it for firing teacher Natalie Munroe for making disparaging comments about students (referencing them anonymously) at her blog; I don’t agree with what Munroe did – I think there’s a time and place for teachers to bust on students like this, but not online…probably the faculty lounge – but by firing her, the school district has turned her into a right-wing darling, all in the name of supposed political correctness, to say nothing of the fact that district residents will now have to pay court costs for this mess…sooner or later, someone was going to be disciplined for some legitimate exercise of free speech, whether it was for this or contributing to a political candidate, and someone was going to sue in response…I guess this is it.
Maybe suspend her for a week if you want, but again, I think her firing was ridiculous.
Dregs of the Year Nominees
And as long as I’m on the subject of Munroe (who was reinstated), this goes out to anyone who applauded her blog posts about students as “rude, disengaged, lazy whiners,” but wouldn’t enroll their students in one of Munroe’s classes (she returned to teaching in the fall to classrooms with about 7-15 students each…interesting to see her as a “free speech” darling when the story first broke, but a pariah in the media when classes resumed in the fall for the new year)
Do Gooders of the Year Nominee
The 14 Wisconsin state senate Democrats who left the Capitol and denied a quorum so the insane Repugs (redundant?) can’t cut salaries, health insurance, pensions and bargaining rights for state employees (here - this story is ongoing of course and we’ll see what happens next, but as of February…YEEEAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!! Eventually, the collective bargaining was removed by a measure from Hosni Mubarak Walker and his pals (here) that, in all likelihood, violated the state constitution, leading to the recall elections in which 2 of 6 state Repugs lost, but not enough to give the Dems a majority, unfortunately.)
Do Gooder of the Year Nominee
Dem U.S House Rep Jackie Speier for this (and kudos to her for giving Chris Smith a metaphorical kick in the nuts, metaphorically being the only way that could happen)…
Dregs of the Year Nominee
Charles Lane of the WaPo for this - h/t Atrios…umm, so, if Gabrielle Giffords could “speak normally,” she would tell President Obama not to “bus in demonstrators with Walker = Hitler placards in Wisconsin” (oh, and Obama is somehow to blame for the free speech of the anti-union-busting protestors…then who on the Repug side is to blame, supposedly, for the racist signs of the teabaggers?) – yep, this is about what you can expect from a “liberal” who graduated from the staff of Joe Lieberman Weekly (and yes, it is deeply offensive).
As usual, it’s fun for corporate media types like Lane to punch hippies, as it were, but don’t DARE do that to the other side, or else your conservative house organ will lose market share.
Dregs of the Year Nominee
The Obama Administration, for vetoing a U.N. resolution critical of Israel’s settlements in the internationally-recognized Palestinian territories here (yes, I know the politics all too well, but this still stinks)
Do Gooder of the Year Nominee
Colin Meloy of The Decemberists, for saying the following to supposed comedian Dennis Miller (from here, regarding the question of whether or not there were any persons or entities to whom Meloy would refuse to grant a license to use one of his songs)…
Well, I actually did have the pleasure of giving a vehement "no" to Dennis Miller recently. He wanted to use "Sons and Daughters" for the outro to his comedy show. It gave me an opportunity to not only say "no" but also to draft a little e-mail explaining in detail why it's because he is a right-wing, bigoted blow-hard. The idea of him trying to co-opt "Sons and Daughters"-- which is about conviviality and people coming together and peace-- for his lame comedy show was offensive. With commercials, we try to make sure that our politics match, at least. I pretty much draw the line when people want you to do original music for commercials. We do not make jingles.Nicely done (and let’s not forget that Miller was voted the least popular Monday Night Football host of all time, behind even – gulp! – O.J. Simpson, as noted here).
Dregs of the Year (Possibly The Millennia) Nominee
Judge Mark Ciavarella of Luzerne County, PA was found guilty of 12 out of 39 charges in February, including racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy, in connection with the nearly $1 million payment from Robert Mericle, the developer of a PA "Child Care" center; basically, Ciavarella got kickbacks to sentence juvenile offenders to Mericle's detention center (here).
One of those sentenced was Edward Kenzakoski, who (like many others in the Ciavarella/Mericle house of horrors) had no prior offenses and was busted for possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sentenced at 17 and, at 23, he killed himself, with his mother claiming that he never recovered from his experience.
Ciavarella is expected to serve 12 years in prison, which, as far as I and many others are concerned, isn't nearly good enough (I haven't encouraged violence at this site against anyone except bin Laden, but I'm seriously tempted to make another exception here...Ciavarella's literal partner in crime, Judge Michael Conahan, accused of doing the same thing, pled guilty and also faces sentencing).
Dregs of the Year Nominee
Rick Santelli, for saying the following about the standoff in Wisconsin earlier this year (here)…
"If the country is ever attacked like it was on 9/11, we all respond with a sense of urgency," Santelli said. "What’s going on on balance sheets throughout the country is the same type of attack."Yes, Santelli compared Wisconsin’s budget shortfall, manufactured by that state’s governor, Hosni Mubarak Walker, to 9/11 – I suppose it was inevitable from some conservative, eventually (wonder how much Santelli ever got from Dick Armey and his pals for getting that “teabagger” stuff going?)
“As Long As They Don’t Call It ‘Currents’” Citation
As noted here, the New York Times Sunday Week In Review section underwent “big changes” according to Times News Editor Bill Keller and Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal (trust me, it ended up not being a big deal – let’s just say that the departure of Frank Rich has left a gaping hole).
Dregs of the Year Nominee
Wal-of-China Mart – as noted here, four employees in a Utah store wrestled a gun away from an armed attempted shoplifter. Were they given a citation? A bonus? A raise?
No, they were fired; store policy states that, if they see a weapon, “they must immediately disengage and withdraw.” And they violated the policy, so that’s that.
Shop at BJ’s or Costco instead, people.
Dregs of the Year Nominee
Georgia (of course) state house rep. Bobby Franklin (and I really don’t have to identify the political party, do I?), who introduced a bill here that would force a woman to prove that a miscarriage happened “naturally” or else face felony charges (why don’t you just tag them and herd them into a pen for good measure, as long as you’re treating them like cattle anyway?)
Do Gooder of the Year Nominee
Robert Cowie, for this (our deepest sympathies as well)…
Do Gooder of the Year Nominee
President Obama, for deciding not to have the Justice Department try to defend the utterly indefensible Defense of Marriage Act here (and a Dregs citation to Baby Newton Leroy given that he actually mentioned impeachment of Obama over it here…yes, deciding not to enforce a typically ridiculous Bushco policy is a “high crime and/or misdemeanor” as far as Gingrich is concerned – Trent Franks would say the same later…too funny – wonder if our august corporate media will remind Gingrich of that now that he’s the Repug presidential front runner, which in itself is hilarious…and yes, I know the answer)
Dregs of the Year Nominee
Darrell Issa, for the first of what I’m sure will be many subpoenas, particularly for the way he handled this one (not consulting with his fellow Dem oversight committee members, which would have made the subpoena unnecessary – but of course, Issa will get headlines in the wingnutosphere this way, as we know)
Do Gooder of the Year Nominee
Philadelphia homeowner Patrick Rodgers, for initiating a foreclosure of Wells Fargo’s home mortgage office in that city; the story is here…
A Philadelphia homeowner named Patrick Rodgers, who mortgage banks with Wells Fargo, was told by Wells that he needed to take out a $1 million homeowner's policy on his house. Rodgers bristled at the demand: Because the market value of his house was far below a million bucks—he'd purchased it for $180,000 in 2002—and because the insurance policy cost $2,400. (Wells wanted the house insured for its replacement value—and the 100 year old Victorian would cost a fortune to recreate; hence, the difference in valuation.)Off-the-scale stupidity here by WF, people (h/t Eschaton)
Here's where the stories gets fun, as Susanna Kim reported for ABC News.
To get some answers and to plead his case, Rodgers wrote to Well Fargo—who, it seems, ignored his letter altogether.
As it turns out, mortgage companies are required by law to respond to written requests within a certain time frame, which Wells failed to do.
So Rodgers took Wells Fargo to court: And won a judgment of $1,173.
According to the ABC News account, Wells Fargo failed to pay up.
So Rodgers placed a sheriff's levy against the one of the bank's local offices.
Despite all the attention—including coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer—Wells still didn't respond to his letter.
Eventually Wells got around to cutting Rodgers two checks to satisfy the judgment—but still didn't respond in writing, as required by law.
So Rodgers, at this point plainly annoyed, "turned to the Philadelphia sheriff's office to initiate a sale of the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage office in Philadelphia."
As a consequence of the action, Wells owed him another 50 dollars—for the cost of initiating the sale.
Rodgers was quoted as saying:
"Why Wells Faro doesn't pay $50 is beyond me, but you never know what's going on in the mind of these big companies,"
And so—improbably enough—the foreclosure and the sheriff's sale continues.
The “What A Shame He Didn’t Try This With Joey Vento Instead” Citation (and yes, I know Vento is now shredding mozzarella in that big pizza parlor in the sky, as it were)
As noted here…
Nickolas Galiatsatos, a pizza shop guy in Upper Darby, had a simple plan, according to police.This was seriously dumb (kind of reminds me of “Termites of 1938” by The Three Stooges).
He allegedly tried to infest competing pizzerias with mice.
The plan, however, quickly unraveled when Galiatsatos, 47, owner of Nina's Bella Pizzeria, tried to slip a bag of mice past two uniformed police officers eating lunch at Verona Pizza around 3 p.m. Monday, authorities said.
"He asked to used the bathroom," said Fanis Facas, 24, co-owner of Verona at 8917 West Chester Pike, adding he had not known that Galiatsatos owned another pizza joint at 8445 West Chester Pike.
After some "banging around in the bathroom," Facas said, Galiatsatos came out, then purchased a bag of chips - apparently to disguise his alleged intent - before leaving.
Facas went into the bathroom and noticed footprints on the toilet seat. He checked the drop ceiling and found a plastic bag that contained a paper bag.
"I got scared," Facas said. No, he didn't think it was a bomb. He did, however, worry that it might be dog poop "or drugs or money." He alerted the two officers, Eric Colella and Ryan Wiseley, who are lunch regulars.
The officers took the suspicious package outside and found three white mice in the paper bag, said Michael Chitwood, Upper Darby superintendent of police.
More later...
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