Illinois Governor Arrested

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on charges he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder in what a federal prosecutor called a "corruption crime spree." Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired. Federal investigators bugged the governor's campaign offices and placed a tap on his home phone and Chicago FBI chief Robert Grant said even seasoned investigators were "stunned" by what they heard on the tapes.

ISF: What's even more stunning is that 'do of his. And, really, isn't that the bigger crime?

(To read the whole story, click here.)

No Me Gusta 50 Cent

Rapper 50 Cent is facing a challenge to his street cred — from Taco Bell. Lawyers for the fast-food chain are calling his federal lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, another attempt to "burnish his gangsta rapper persona by distorting beyond all recognition a bona fide, good faith offer." The squabble is over a fake letter sent out by Taco Bell Corp. asking 50 Cent to change his name for one day to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent to help publicize its value menu. In return, the company offered to donate $10,000 to the charity of his choice. The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has sued for trademark infringement. Jackson's attorney, Peter Raymond, says he wonders why Taco Bell would use his client's name in an ad campaign.

ISF: What an ass. Can you sue now for "trademark infringement" when they haven't even done anything yet? I'd tell him where to shove his Two Quarters.

Automobile Industry Bailout

Democratic aides say Speaker Nancy Pelosi intends to seek legislation to provide relief to the battered auto industry, and wants it done in a post-election session of Congress likely to convene in the next few days. Pelosi is not expected to specify how large a bailout she wants. The aides who described her views Tuesday did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The speaker's decision comes a few days after General Motors warned it is rapidly running out of cash, and Ford announced its situation was only slightly better.

ISF: I'm sorry, but I CANNOT feel sorry for the automobile industry. They've been screwing over the American people for years and now they want protection from the government? For what? They haven't made any improvements to their automobiles' mileage. The Ford Model T got 25 miles per gallon in 1908. My 1993 GEO Metro got 40-45. My 2007 Chevrolet Aveo gets 27. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture? They have the capability to produce more efficient cars...yet they don't. If they're looking for a bailout, why not stick their hands out to the Oil Companies who are obviously already paying them to be fuel inefficient?

George "Incompetent" Bush

With record low approval ratings and intense criticism for his handling of the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the economy, the word most used to label George W. Bush's presidency will be "incompetent," historians say. Harvard University political history scholar Barbara Kellerman said when President-elect Barack Obama takes over in January, people may view Bush in a new light. "I think it's possible when people have stopped being as angry at the Bush administration as they are now ... that they will realize that some of this is just ... the luck of the draw." Kellerman, author of the book "Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters," noted that Bush has not had luck on his side for the past eight years. "He [Bush] has been a quite unlucky president. Certain things happened on his watch that most people don't have to deal with -- a 9/11, a [Hurricane] Katrina, the financial crisis, being three obvious examples," she said. "And yet they happened on his watch. He is being blamed," she said.

ISF: Kellerman, you're giving Bush way too much credit. I don't think anyone believes that George Bush has the power to create disasters like 9/11, Katrina, the Iraqi War, or the financial crisis. He's too stupid to even comprehend how to put something that complicated together. However, he is being (and should be) blamed for the handling of each situation (and more). A good leader knows how to prevent problems and/or solve them when they happen. Bush did neither.

Bush, meanwhile, who has long defended his decision to invade Iraq as a way to spread democracy, could also see criticism dissipate over time if Iraq becomes a thriving, stable country. "If you imagine that an Iraq in 10,15 years is actually a vibrant, stable democracy and other countries neighboring it move in that direction ... I think you'd have a strong Bush revisionism," Zelizer said. "How things unfold in coming decades can help repair a battered presidency," he added.

ISF: That's great. Maybe Bush should have run for president of Iraq instead of the U.S. since his focus was on making THEM a better country than his own.

Election Results

Well, folks...it's the day after the 2008 elections. We have a new African-American president; Washington now offers terminally ill people the option of physician-assisted suicide; Colorado defeated a measure that would have defined life as beginning at conception (wouldn't this be a scientist/doctor's determination?); South Dakota defeated a measure that would have banned abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or serious health threats; Massachusetts voted to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the marijuana; Michigan joined 12 other states in allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes; Nebraska voters approved a ban on race- and gender-based affirmative action, similar to measures previously approved in California, Michigan and Washington; Missouri voted to require the state's three investor-owned electric utilities to get 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2021; Massachusetts voted to ban dog racing; and California voted to outlaw cramped cages for egg-laying chickens.

Oh, yeah...and California ALSO voted to ban same-sex marriages; Arizona and Florida approved ban-gay-marriage amendments; and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents.

It's amazing progressive the US would lead us to believe it is when it comes to all issues except when it comes to treating gay people with respect and giving them equal rights, just like African-Americans, women, unborn children, dogs, and chickens. My favorite is seeing an African-American person driving with a bumper sticker reading "marriage = man + woman." They've gotten their rights bestowed upon them, so screw everyone else.

No...it's not under here...

Edjumacation

Who are you voting for this year?

Following high school, Barack Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he studied at Occidental College for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations. Obama graduated with a B.A. from Columbia in 1983. He entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. At the end of his first year, he was selected, based on his grades and a writing competition, as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. In February 1990, in his second year, he was elected president of the Law Review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as editor-in-chief and supervising the Law Review's staff of eighty editors. After graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago.

Joe Biden attended the Archmere Academy in Claymont, where he was a standout wide receiver on the high school football team and played on the baseball team as well. He graduated in 1961 and then went on to attend the University of Delaware in Newark. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in history and political science in 1965. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 1968 and he was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969.

John McCain attended Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria. He excelled at wrestling and graduated in 1954. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. McCain came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel, he did not always obey the rules, and that contributed to a low class rank (894 of 899). He did well in academic subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects he struggled with, such as mathematics. McCain graduated in 1958.

Sarah Palin attended Wasilla High School in Wasilla, AK. In 1982, she enrolled at Hawaii Pacific College but left after her first semester. She transferred to North Idaho community college, where she spent two semesters as a general studies major. From there, she transferred to the University of Idaho for two semesters. During this time Palin won the Miss Wasilla Pageant, then finished third in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant, at which she won a college scholarship and the "Miss Congeniality" award. After the pageants, Palin attended the Matanuska-Susitna community college in Alaska for one term. The next year she returned to the University of Idaho where she spent three semesters completing her Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism, graduating in 1987.

FIERCE!

Beyonce Knowles would like to be known by a bold new name. The R&B singer has christened herself "Sasha Fierce" for her new double album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," due in U.S. stores on November 18, and has released a lengthy justification for the comical moniker. "I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am," the former Destiny's Child frontwoman said in a statement.

ISF: Sigh... Would someone get this woman a psychotherapist? She has Multiple Personality Disorder.

More Buck for your Burrito

Chipotle Mexican Grill posted its first profit decline since going public in 2006 on Wednesday, as it battled higher ingredient costs and a slowing U.S. economy. The restaurant operator said sales were still positive but growth has slowed. The quarterly results from Denver-based Chipotle, a former Wall Street darling, comes amid worries financially stressed consumers will skip even more restaurant visits as they weather a housing slump, credit crisis and rising unemployment. "These tough economic times make it harder for customers to afford to eat out," Monty Moran, president, said during a conference call. "We know that some of our customers are forced to visit us a little less frequently than they were a year ago." Chipotle, known for serving premium-priced naturally raised meat, said third-quarter net income fell to $19.5 million, or 59 cents per share, from $20.6 million, or 62 cents per share, a year earlier. Chipotle said it plans to raise prices in the fourth quarter.

ISF: Yeah, that's interesting. You want to increase sales, yet you increase prices. Hey, Monty--don't you think people will be LESS inclined to dine at your restaurants if they see that they're not getting the value they're used to? Just a thought from someone who's NOT a company president, but understands the value of his dollar and would rather see it go towards something of more importance in HIS life than YOUR salary and bonus this year.

Cali-NO-fornication

David Duchovny has checked out of the facility where he was undergoing treatment for a sex addiction, according to the actor's lawyer, Stanton "Larry" Stein. "David is out of rehab and about to start a new movie," Stein said in a statement Monday. "He successfully completed his treatment."

ISF: What was he forced to do? Watch pornos of 500 lb women? "I'm cured! I no longer want sex!" screamed Duchovny upon his release.