FORGET ABOUT MICHAEL AND FARRAH. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE COUP

While the dumbmasses froth about how and why Michael died ... does he have a will ... how much is he in debt ... Obama (our President) has just publicly supported a Marxist dictator and taken sides AGAINST the legally mandated Constitution of Honduras.

First, some background info. (If you only get your news by watching network or cable news and read the New York Times, et al, then you probably don't know any of this because they are in the business of only telling you the truth they want you to know.)

Mel Zelaya is, or was, the President of Honduras. He and Hugo Chaves are tight. So tight, it seems, that Zelaya wanted to emulate Hugo by changing the Honduran constitution to allow him to run for office until he durned well gets tired of it.

To change the constitution in Honduras you have to convene a constituent assembly. The president cannot do that. The Honduran congress must approve a national referendum calling for the constituent assembly to consider changes to the constitution. Zelaya didn't like the part about the constitution requiring approval of the congress before a national referendum could be called. So ... he decided to call one on his own.

That means we have President Zelaya calling for a national referendum when he doesn't have the power to do so. The next problem is obtaining ballots! Since the Honduran congress had not called for the referendum, as required by the constitution, the government certainly wasn't going to print the ballots! After all, how smart would it be to print ballots for an illegal referendum? So ... Zelaya had to get the ballots printed elsewhere. So he asked his pall Hugo Chavez to print them and they are shipped to Honduras.

Enter the Honduran Supreme Court. The court considers Zelaya's election in light of the requirements of the Honduran constitution, and rules the referendum illegal and unconstitutional. The court then issues an order to the Honduran military telling them not to do the logistical work associated with Zelaya's phony referendum. Remember, now ... all of this has one primary goal: To get rid of the term limits limiting Zelaya's rule in Honduras.

After the supreme court's decision, General Romeo Velasquez tells President Zelaya that he is subject to a proper order from the Supreme Court and will not be able to carry out Zelaya's referendum. So ... Zelaya fires him. The Supreme Court orders Zelaya to reinstate Velasquez, and Zelaya refuses to do so. Instead, he raises a mob and leads them to the military compound where Hugo's ballots are stored and has his supporters begin distributing the ballots to the masses.

Based on the Supreme Court's ruling the Honduran attorney general said that the proposed referendum was illegal and said that he would arrest anyone attempting to carry out the election. Zelaya was arrested by the military and was escorted out of the country.

Now ... does this sound like a military coup-de-etat to you? The attorney general and the military were operating in accordance with the Honduran rule of law. They acted under a valid court order. Coup? The Honduran congress has convened and designated a successor president, all in accordance with the Honduran Constitution. Military coup? The presidential elections set for November .. the election that Zelaya was trying to get around ... will go on as scheduled. And according to Obama, THIS IS A BLOW FOR DEMOCRACY?

Fidel Castro, Daniel Noriega, Hugo Chavez ... Barack Obama ... all on the side of Zelaya. Is this merely a dress rehearsal of what is going to happen when Obama decides he does not want to give up the Presidency?

ACADEMY ANNOUNCES OSCAR CHANGE

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - The Academy Awards are doubling the number of best-picture nominees from five to 10.

Academy President Sid Ganis said at a news conference that the academy's board of governors made the decision to expand the slate. Ganis said the decision will open the field up to more worthy films for the top prize at Hollywood's biggest party.

The change takes effect with next year's Oscars on March 7.

Seriously … in recent years have there been more than five movies that deserved to be nominated? Most years, I can’t even think of five good movies. Hollywood loves to choose ponderously boring movies that show they are “serious artists”. Give me a break. Just make a movie that has less than 3 chase scenes, no high tech explosions and some story telling logic.

1939 is considered the greatest year in movie history. The nominated films for Best Movie were: Wuthering Heights (Lawrence Oliver version), Goodbye Mr. Chips, Stagecoach (John Wayne’s first big screen starring role), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Jimmy Stewart classic) and Ninotchka (Greta Garbo in one of the best romantic comedies you’ll ever see.)

Who won? The envelope please.

Not so fast. See, during the 1930s and 40s they nominated more than five films. 1939 was also the year of Dark Victory, one of Bette Davis’ tour-de-force movies. Which didn’t win because it was also the year we got Of Mice and Men. Which didn’t win because was also the same year of The Wizard of Oz. Which didn’t really matter, because the movie of the year was named Gone With The Wind.

Think we’re going to be able to find 10 movies half that good this year? Well, if Ted Kennedy is not a convicted murderer, Barney Frank is still a Congressman, and a geeky governor like Mark Sanford can have an Argentinian lover ... then I guess anything is possible.

CALL ALL HERMAPHRODITES!

Katie Couric was being interviewed on a local radio show. When the gay host asked about her low ratings for the CBS Evening News she replied, "For whatever reason, I have some gay fans. I am very flattered my gay friends enjoy my work. Gay, straight, I'll take anybody at this point, hermaphrodites."

Well, if it's good enough for Katie ...

BLACK CAT TOURS PROUDLY ANNOUNCES
Mark Jones is the Noah of the Charleston hospitality industry ... Saving tourism two by two.

BEST APOCALYPTIC FICTION

By no means a comprehensive list, just 13 of my favorite stories dealing with the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it. Thirteen seemed an appropriate number given the subject matter.


"By the Rivers of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benet (short story) Written in 1937, this is one of the first apocalyptic pieces of fiction I remember reading in 9th grade. It blew me away. A character named John narrates the tale of his exploration of the forbidden "Place of the Gods" in a world that has nearly forgotten the existence of 20th century civilization. John is the son of a priest of a tribe of hunters, heirs to a global catastrophe, whose curiosity takes him on a journey of discovery and search for truth about his civilized ancestors and the statue of a god called ashington.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (novel) Set in a Roman Catholic monastery in the desert of the Southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz take up the mission of preserving the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the day the outside world is again ready for it.

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (novel) It was one of the first post-apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age and remains popular fifty years after it was first published. The novel deals with the effects of a nuclear war on the small town of Fort Repose, Florida. David Brin has written that his novel was highly influential for him as he wrote The Postman (see later down the list.)
Emergence by David R. Palmer (novel) Candy is a young girl with a high I.Q., a natural talent for martial arts and the ability to perform quick bursts of near superhuman activity. One day, her father is called to Washington to deal with a mysterious problem. While he is gone, a disease wipes out most of humanity. Candy lives at her house for a while, as she has many emergency supplies. She soon realizes that she must venture outside. She decides to go exploring for supplies and to figure out what happened. Her original companion is a loyal parrot but later she meets other survivors.

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany (novel) A difficult book to read due to a lack of lineal plot or consistent narrative, reminiscent of Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow. Even now I can't really say I enjoyed the book, but for its sheer scope and virtuosity, I have to put it on the list.

The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner (novel) With the rise of a corporation-sponsored government (hmmm), pollution in big cities has reached extreme levels and most (if not all) people's health has been affected in some way. Similar to Atlas Shrugged due to its uncanny prediction of our current state of affairs around the world.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegot (novel). A dead-on satire of the world turned to water by Ice-Nine. Vonnegut gets his well-aimed shots in at science, technology, the arms race and religion.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (novel) The story of Robert Neville who is apparently the sole survivor of a bacterial pandemic apocalypse the symptoms of which resemble vampirism. The book details Neville's daily life in Los Angeles, as he attempts to comprehend, research, and possibly cure the disease that killed mankind, and to which he is immune (Neville assumes this is because he was bitten by a vampire bat who was "infected". Because it was not a human, it did not kill Neville, instead, he became ill for a period of time). Much of the book deals with Neville's emotional struggle to cope with losing his humanity is dealt with by going about a daily routine. Turned into 3 successful movies. The Last Man Left with Vincent Price; The Omega Man with Charlton Heston and the recent Will Smith sci-fi thriller. Great, great novel.
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (novel) And long and epic story that details a cometary impact on Earth, the end of civilization, and the battle for the future. It encompasses the discovery of the comet, the LA social scene, and a cast of diverse characters whom fate seems to smile upon and allow to survive the massive cataclysm and the resulting tsunamis, plagues, famines and battles amongst scavengers and cannibals.

The Postman by David Brin (novel) Years after a cataclysmic event, a drifter, Gordon Crantz, stumbles across the uniform of an old United States Postal Uniform letter carrier and gives hope to a community threatened by local hypersurvivalists warlords with empty promises of aid from the "Restored United States of America". The basis of the REALLY BAD Kevin Costner movie of the same name. DO NOT LET THAT KEEP YOU FROM READING THE BOOK.

Swan Song by Robert McCammon (novel) Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 1987, this is an epic story after a nuclear war. Similar to Stephen King's The Stand but much better written and more tightly plotted. EXCELLENT!

The Stand by Stephen King (novel) Capt. Tripps, a deadly flu ravages the Earth and the survivors deal with the aftermath. First half of the book is possibility the best thing King has done. However, it dissolves into a mish-mash of feel-good spiritualism toward the end.Trash Can Man rocks!

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (novel) Winner the Nebula and Hugo Awards, this is a towering work of sci-fi dealing with time travel, an flu plague and medieval history.

MAN ROBS DOLLAR GENERAL STORE - Genius!!

Charleston, SC - Police are investigating an armed robbery at a Savannah Highway store.

According to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, around 8:30 on Wednesday, June 17 deputies responded to the Dollar General store located at 6131 Savannah Highway after receiving a report of an armed robbery.

Witnesses said a man entered the store armed with a shotgun and demanded money.

Police describe the suspect as a black male, around 5’10” to 6’ tall, and approximately 160 pounds. He was said to be wearing a blue or black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, and a mask covering his face.

The suspect was able to leave the store with an undisclosed amount of money.

Deputies are also investigating an armed robbery to a person that occurred 15 minutes before the other robbery at 5987 Highway 165, which is located near the Dollar General.

Later, a man matching the robber's description was seen at Thee Southern Belle and "was being unusually generous with one dollar bills," dance Amber Jean stated.

WTMA - 70 YEARS

Thank God WTMA (1250 AM) turns 70 years old only once! I am so sick of hearing those retro-clips from the "golden days radio." Where all the DJs and newscasters talked in an affected clip like EVERY. THING. WAS. SO. URGENT.

From the clips I have heard the golden age sounded fairly lame. How about some real golden stuff from the 40s and 50s? Thankfully I have missed any Dan Moon clips ... whew!

The constant reminder of the 70 Year Anniversary and the playing of old news clips reminds me of the annoying parents who keep showing you pictures of their new born baby. "And here's a picture of Johnny's first bowel movement. And here is another picture of him sleeping!"

So Saturday it should be over and WTMA can resume to less annoying programming. And then ... it's only 10 more years to the 80th anniversary. I, for one, cannot wait.

New Vehicles For GM

The Bailout - A sturdy Hybrid SUV with a $50 million carrying capacity.

The Hillary – Shrill engine noise. Loved by Puerto Ricans. Flaw: Has a problem with recall.

The Gore – Designed without a heater since global warming will make it obsolete within a decade. Flaw: tends to be boring.

The Michael Moore – Noted for its oversized shocks and rear end. Flaw: completely unreliable.

The Geithner: A tax-free sedan.

The Peolsi – A bright red electric-only sedan with bumpers that never bend or crack. Flaw: The sticker price tends to be twice of what is listed.

The Kennedy: Cutting edge design allows this vehicle to be submersible.

The Barney Frank – When you buy this sporty little two-seater, your neighbors make the monthly payment. Flaw: weak engine and has the tendency to be rear-ended.

The Messiah: The perfect car. Can go from earth to heaven in less than 60 seconds. Known for its soaring engine sound and over sized dashboard read-out which is designed to look like a teleprompter.

The G.O.D.- The Good Ole Days. A full sized sedan with a V-8. Not to be confused with the Messiah.