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Peaceful Protest Is No Longer Possible

It would be nice to have a peaceful protest instead of the riots and the burning buildings we’ve seen in our recent history. But there are two reasons why they don’t work and it’s a shame that this is our reality.

No one pays attention to a peaceful protest. Sitting in a designated area singing “Give Peace a Chance” is a nice way to gather and get to know people who are just as upset as you over whatever cause it is. But people walk by and wave, they smile gently as they go back to window shopping and enjoying their evening strolls down the peaceful streets.

A protest like that doesn’t get anyone’s attention. It’s not loud enough and it doesn’t cause anyone any alarm. It’s said that the squeaky wheel gets the attention. As we’ve learned throughout history, if people aren’t yelling at the top of their lungs and being disruptive in some way, no one cares. They might try to show they care in their Faceygrams and Instatweets but their actions won’t back up their words because a peaceful protest just isn’t inspiring enough.

So, the solution might seem to be to step it up a notch, or a few notches. But that just won’t be allowed. Protestors will be playing right into the government’s hands as soon as they decide to intensify their actions, even if they all agree to keep their protest legal. On the surface, the government says that it invites lawful assembly but deep down inside, it doesn’t like being criticized and it has its methods of legally shutting down a protest.

Ask yourself, is it that hard to believe that government agents will infiltrate peaceful protestors with the purpose of encouraging them to violence? An even more revealing question, is it that hard to believe that criminals who have been charged with crimes have been recruited to work for government agencies to get out of serving time by being used as actors to infiltrate peaceful protests and incite protestors to violence?

When Ray Epps was part of the January 6 rioters, he urged fellow rioters, “Tomorrow, we need to go into the Capitol … peacefully.” Then, on January 6, another video surfaced of him saying, “As soon as the president is done speaking, we go to the Capitol.”

Epps was charged and given a year of probation for his involvement. But he became a target of the right and received death threats. There were people calling him a Fed on the day of the insurrection. When asked, the Justice Department, “Couldn’t say whether FBI agents participated in the insurrection because [they] couldn’t discuss ‘the specifics of sources and methods’ of the FBI.”

Then, the House released the FBI findings that there was no insurrection. That makes things very confusing since there are people being prosecuted for their involvement in the insurrection and it is still being termed that by our government as well as a justice system across the land. So, was it or wasn’t it?

That’s a question the government should have to face or will it be another thing that goes unnoticed while it distracts your attention away from that document? Either way, Ray Epps is a Marine who got caught up in the action just like everyone else who was there. It’s called mob mentality and when you’re in it, it’s hard to pull yourself back out of it.

Ray Epps on 60 Minutes

The following clip with Jim Gaffigan on the Joe Rogan Experience begins with a talk about Trump and Biden that was months ago. In light of Trump’s conviction, it didn’t age well. But only a few minutes into their discussion, they start talking about the insurrection and Joe Rogan talks about Federal involvement on January 6.

Choose what you want to believe but I don’t find it hard to believe at all. It really isn’t just about the Feds either. When peaceful people try to have a protest on a subject that is particularly triggering, there are going to be bad actors from both sides who will come with the intent of stirring up trouble. Expect it to happen.

Be prepared to be caught up in a potentially violent situation with violent people from both sides who want to push things as well as violent police officers ordered to step in and stop things. And if the bad actors don’t show, expect the government to whip things up itself because, how dare any American question the sovereignty of this government and disrespect the moral ground it stands on?

If you read that without laughing, it’s a shame you’ve lost your sense of humor over all this.

Did Feds Turn Protest Into Insurrection?

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Freedom Of Speech Is Dying, The Harrison Butker Saga

When Harrison Butker stepped on stage at Benedictine College to give a commencement speech to the class that was graduating, he knew what he was doing. But the controversy has exploded across America, dividing us once again and opening up our ongoing debate about Freedom of Speech.

Here is a Catholic man giving a speech to a Catholic college and talking about their beliefs. Of course, the world is listening and everything is up for commentary. It always has been. In fact, that’s the other side of this two-edged sword. Freedom of Speech does indeed go both ways. If you can dish it out, you better be ready to take it. But there have been some ridiculous actions to this saga and they need to be called out.

First of all, I want to say that I get this TikToker who was in attendance. She is a graduate who heard Butker’s speech first hand and she was not happy with it. This is not one of those ridiculous things that need to be pointed out. This is actually how Freedom of Speech works. If you don’t like something, speak up about it. There will always be people on your side who agree with you and will give you the time of day to listen.

@susi.leisegang

Respuesta a @Kiki Thank you to everyone congratulating me it means so much butkercommencentspeech benedictinecollege

♬ sonido original – Susannah

It is in the interest of what she had to say though that I would like to point out that the college she just graduated from is a Catholic college. I’m sure she knew that going into Freshman year. In its Mission Statement, Benedictine College states, “As a Catholic college, Benedictine College is committed to those beliefs and natural principles that form the framework of the Judeo-Christian tradition.”

Having said that, I think it’s important to point out that it doesn’t seem to be a requirement of the college that all students be Catholic, “The college embraces students and faculty from all faiths who accept its goals, seeking in its members a personal commitment to the ideals and principles of a spiritual life and the expression of these in worship and action.”

So, a student doesn’t have to be Catholic to attend. But I’m quite sure that in the years spent there to get a degree, every student learns what the college’s beliefs and principles are. Harrison Butker’s commencement speech would not have been the first time hearing these things. I know that graduation is supposed to be a special day and having your day ruined by a commencement speech can put a damper on the whole experience. I hate that she’ll have a bad memory of it but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when these beliefs and principles had been shared with her all along.

After seeing memes spawn on Facebook like this hilarious one, I realized that it’s as if so many of the people who were triggered by his commencement speech have no idea what Harrison Butker really said. Of course, people don’t always have enough time to catch every little thing going on in the world. So, they rely on what they consider to be credible sources to fill them in on the details. Unfortunately, those aren’t always reliable.

AP does a great job of glossing over different views of the speech from a lady in the audience who liked it to a lady in the audience who wasn’t too happy about it as well as the criticism nuns had for it. PinkNews went a bit further and pointed out all the statements that the LGBTQ+ community as a whole might find issues with. What I liked about that article is it quoted Harrison Butker directly and discussed those statements honestly. It also didn’t have a call for action to have him fired or to sue him and have him sent off to a social awareness camp to be brainwashed into thinking their way. It simply says, here are the facts.

But this is ridiculous…

An actual petition exists to have the Chiefs fire him, calling his words “harmful” and “unacceptable.” I would like to point out that there are people on the right who find words and actions from people on the left “harmful” and “unacceptable.” Who wins that one? Who’s words are actually “harmful” and “unacceptable?”

If we’re all “harmful” and “unacceptable,” then we all need to be canceled. There will be no more commencement speeches, book readings, parades, protests, television programming of any sort, or anything at all, ever again. Stop talking to each other. It’s all too disturbing.

It’s either that or we all have Freedom of Speech. Harrison Butker can continue kicking for the Chiefs and living his life by his family values as well as giving speeches wherever he’s hired to do so. And everyone else will also enjoy those rights. Sound good?

It’s either all or nothing. Because I refuse to sit back and let one side dictate how we’re all going to live and what is and is not acceptable in this world. One side does not get to say and have everything their way.

Why wouldn’t the White House still welcome Harrison Butker? If this administration has actually considered this action and it isn’t just CNN trying to push it, this reaches the epitome of what is not American. The president is the president of the entire country, not just the people who agree with him. To consider rescinding an invitation based on the fact that he was criticized in a speech shows very weak character, not the kind of character an American president should have.

This is the kind of behavior from a country that has a dictator who doesn’t like opposition. This is the kind of behavior that takes place in a country ruled by a tyrant who silences those who stand against him. This is not who we are as Americans.

We might disagree on what family values are and we all might be divided by a commencement speech given by a certain person to a certain group of people he thought believed just like he does, but we all still agree on some things. Deep down in our American values, we know that this isn’t a dictatorship run by a tyrant. This is a free country where we are allowed to believe as we wish and the president of the United States is obligated to take company even with those who disagree with him. How else is he supposed to make an informed decision if he doesn’t hear what the opposition has to say?

But enough about me! Here’s Whoopi Goldberg to back me up…

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Little Tug Liked To Party With Sexy Ladies On His Yacht

Tugger is his actual name. But he goes by Tug and it was on his day off when he decided to take his yacht for a spin to look for a good time. Of course, sexy ladies are what first came to mind.

He knew one way to get it done was to cruise around and see what he could find. It was a nice sunny day. It shouldn’t have been that hard for him to find a party and get things started.

Jen seemed like she would be helpful. She was just floating on the waters and she did give him the time of day when he asked if there was anything interesting going on for him to do. She leaned toward him as if telling him a secret the world was holding, there is always something interesting and if he looked hard enough, he might even find something special.

Then, he asked if she’d like to join…

She kept smiling that beautiful smile but unfortunately, she shook her head. She had come out to do some turtle-watching for a college project that was due. When Tug asked if he could help, she encouraged him to go on his way and enjoy his day. She assured him that there was no reason to turtle watch with her on his day off.

Such a nice lady, Tug thought. So, he scooted off to find someone else who might want to do a little boating with him on his yacht. That’s when he spotted Samantha. She winked at him flirtatiously and that was all the invitation he needed.

The next thing she knew, he was floating right beside her boat, the waters bobbing up and down. She looked him over and asked what he wanted. But he soon learned she wasn’t what he was looking for when she looked him in the eye and gave him her reply.

Boating isn’t cheap and he couldn’t afford her…

That confused him. To him, it was simple math. He had the boat and if she was willing, what more did they need?

When he looked at her with that blank look in his eye, she didn’t offer him any more information. That was all she was willing to say. And when she saw that he wasn’t reaching for his wallet anytime soon, she knew that was his answer.

So, Tug shook his head as he went on his way. It wasn’t long before he bumped into someone else but this conversation would be his life changer. Wendy was floating by herself and enjoying the sun when Tug came up alongside her.

She gave him the side eye and asked what she could do for him. That’s when Tugger learned a little something about himself.

She looked him over and told him to get real. That’s not a yacht. How was he supposed to party with all these sexy ladies he kept bugging when that’s what he was working with?

Tug’s heart sank. His boat found it hard to stay afloat. The wind in his sail had been deflated.

Tug hadn’t once thought his boat was the issue. He had taken it joyriding before. He had put it in more times than he could count. He had even gotten in trouble with it so he thought it was definitely a bad boy.

But Wendy had let him know that wasn’t the case. He was going to have to slow his roll. There was only so much he could do with that thing.

As he thought back throughout the day at all the sexy ladies he had met, he started to realize that there was something they had all been trying to tell him. Some of them were just too nice to come out and say it. They would just smile at him, hoping he would get the hint.

Some would straight-up laugh without letting him in on their little inside joke. That’s why he was so clueless. What he thought was a yacht was nothing more than a little tugboat. Then, he realized that’s how he got this name. It was like the entire universe had been trying to tell him something. But he refused to listen.

It was all starting to sink in. Who wanted anything to do with Tugger? He was going to have to take his boating adventures on his own.

But facts have a way of coming through. That’s what Tug was about to learn when he bumped into two girls who were just hanging around.

They were nice girls with nothing else to do. They didn’t mind his company and didn’t care what he was working with. If anything, they liked his sense of humor and the way he made them laugh.

While he was talking, he was actually feeling a vibe. He didn’t know if what he was feeling was real because of what Wendy had said. But in there lies the truth.

When one lady sees a boat, another sees her yacht.

When he asked them if they’d like to climb aboard, they asked if they could take turns. A boat always needs steering whether the captain is at the helm or not. So, he didn’t see much problem with that.

That’s all they needed to hear. They were excited to check out his yacht and even more excited to get a little wet.

Of course, that’s what the day was about. That’s what Tug had wanted from the moment he started on this journey. The thing is that not only did they come, but they brought all the fun.

Once girls saw the party hopping, they came knocking. A good time tends to draw attention and when the water started making waves, the other boats naturally gravitated his way.

How many could he handle?

Before long, he had a real party on his hands. With everything popping, his boat started rocking. There were so many girls, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Then tragedy struck as the party hit full stride.

Life has a funny way of playing pranks on us all. Just when things are going good, that’s when the worst will most likely happen. That’s also when you find out who you’re friends are and who was only there for the good parts.

The party was over. The girls went their separate ways. They were making calls on their way off and already lining up their next thing. He had no idea they could bail that fast. It was enough to blow his mind and make his head spin.

That’s when he heard her voice, “I’m still here.”

He turned around and saw the one girl who had been checking him out all day. She liked what she saw and she had been patiently waiting to take his tugboat for a ride.

Tugger doesn’t party like he used to. His boat is no longer new and it can’t handle all that these days. He has finally come to the realization that it has aged gently.

But that’s okay because she’s not worried about all that. She knows how to get that engine revving and make it take a couple of trips around the lake. To Tug, that’s all that matters to him anyway.

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The Tom Brady Roast Went Sideways And Kept Going

Imagine telling Jeff Ross to back off from a true roaster. That’s what Tom Brady tried to do and it all went downhill from there. They called it The Greatest Roast of All Time and Kevin Hart set out to prove it as he hosted the Netflix presentation that aired on Sunday night.

We all know that Tom Brady likes to have his special rules. But this was a torcher and he knew what he was getting into when he signed. Of course, the only argument I can offer is that Tom Brady signed up for this. Everyone associated with him didn’t. So, do they get a pass? According to the Roastmaster General, that would be a No.

It’s Not A Tom Brady Joke

If you didn’t catch what the seven-time Super Bowl champion said to Ross, it was, “Don’t say that shit again.”

That’s right, the GOAT got up and said that in Jeff’s ear while he was doing his bit. Tom must not have gotten the memo. He may not have been aware of all the rules. But the fact is that there really aren’t any rules.

The celebrity being roasted isn’t supposed to referee his own roast. It’s not a common practice that they tell the guests what to joke about and what not to joke about. But Jeff took it like a pro. He finished his jokes about Robert Kraft and went back to roasting Tom.

By the way, the last I heard, the charges were dropped. Robert Kraft is an innocent man or at least, as innocent as a lot of money can make you. Plus, it all happened in public. It was dragged out into the headlines and his name was plastered all over the net for something other than football.

That’s a tough break. That’s what happens when you’re a public figure. So, don’t go to a roast if you’re sensitive about the jokes that are going to fly.

It went further downhill from there. The quarterback’s ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, was another innocent victim of the roast. Of course, Jeff Ross went there too. But Kevin Hart, Nikki Glaser, and even Drew Bledsoe got in on the act.

Drew was the starting quarterback if you don’t know when he got hurt and that’s when Brady stepped up to take his place. It was history from there. So, Drew had a chance to get back at his former backup and he didn’t pull any punches. He mentioned the fact that Brady will never know what it’s like to be the first-round draft pick because Tom was chosen 199th in the sixth round. Way back in the back! So, Drew holds that over him. Plus, he went on to say that the GOAT would also never know how good it feels to celebrate a 28th anniversary. Whoa! Low blow!

Across the internet, headline after headline talks about how all the marriage and divorce jokes upset Gisele. But there’s nothing from her directly. Sites like TMZ and People refer to their sources who but they don’t have direct quotes or names to put with their stories. The fact is that Gisele didn’t even watch the show. She had more important things to do. Like, her part in saving the world.

Gisele Was Busy Doing Other Things

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gisele Bündchen (@gisele)

Roasts can get pretty bad. They aren’t like the Dean Martin roasts of yesteryear where celebrities would joke about the roaster and keep it at that. The roast tradition has progressively branched out into everything about the person and every bit of dirt they can dig up.

But if you know what’s going on, then you know what to expect when you sign up for a roast. It’s not going to be a few innocent jokes that make people laugh in a wholesome family setting. It’s going to go there and there is no pulling back in sight.

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The Games Of Death Kids Played Decades Ago

Young parents of today would have a heart attack if they saw the games kids played back in the 70s and 80s. They were fun and provided hours of entertainment but they could easily result in death and our parents never even batted an eye.

It was a different time back then when warning signs weren’t stuck to everything. I remember when Mr. Yuk was introduced and parents started putting stickers on bleach, glass cleaner, dish detergent, and every other poisonous substance a kid might be enticed to drink. Before that, it was okay if we drank it. Labels were our only way of knowing.

Thankfully, parents got wise in the 21st century. They had games yanked off the shelves. Schools stopped letting us kill each other in gym class or on the playground. It became a whole new world and the kids were safer. They had their video games and some completely forgot to go back outside.

Red Rover And The Line Of Death

It was an innocent game invented by a nice person who thought it would be fun if one person ran at the line of people on the other end of the field. If they break through, they win. If they get caught, they didn’t. And therein lies the rub.

The need to break through lit a fire in the runner that would motivate them to go full speed at the other kids. The need to catch them was just as motivating to kids standing in a line. The line got harder and the running faster until it was like full-on NFL football. A close line here and a horse-collar tackle there and kids ended up in the hospital in traction. Schools have banned the game after gallons of tears were cried into buckets and used to clean the blood off the walls.

But, our parents in our generation actually organized the games in our backyards. If you got hurt, walk it off. Pop that shoulder back into place. If you were choked, hold your hands above your head and breathe. We were fine.

Dodgeball Was Sweet Revenge

We had dodgeball in gym class sometimes and we could always have it on the playground. So if we needed to get back at our classmates for something, dodgeball was when. A blast to the face was so satisfying. But if we were really going for it, hit them in the legs and trip the rascal who stole our pencil.

It appears this is another game the schools have banned. I don’t get it though. It was a rubber ball. That didn’t hurt, not that much anyway. It wasn’t like the toys we played with at home.

Lawn Darts Were Serious Stuff

When they said “Javelin Darts,” that’s what they meant. These things were solid and weighed enough to go right through someone’s head. There was a point at the end to make it happen too.

We would swing them back and forth and let them fly. If kids weren’t paying attention at the other end, that was their fault. It was a good heads-up game that got us ready for a lot of things like throwing grenades and hiding bodies. Somewhere along the line, the Toy Police decided for parents that we couldn’t be trusted with Lawn Darts anymore and banned them for everyone.

Chemistry Sets Were Death Ready To Happen

Chernobyl exploded in 1986 and we were still selling chemistry sets in America. It didn’t faze us that there were real chemicals in the set that should never be mixed. We had science teachers doing demonstrations all day and we learned everything we needed to know about chemistry.

What could possibly go wrong? There were only chemicals that could cause a fire. Others could pollute the oxygen in the room. Then, there were chemicals that could melt metal. It was awesome. Nothing a parent needed to worry about when their ten-year-old was up in their room playing.

Automic Energy Lab

Complete with Uranium 238, Sheldon Cooper would have loved this game. We’re not talking about a small explosion in the room anymore. This time, we’re talking about something that could make a child’s hair fall out. Death would come shortly after.

Of course, Atomic Energy can also cause an explosion. But it would probably take the whole block out. The cute little explosion a chemistry set would make in a kid’s room has nothing on a nuclear weapon your little Sheldon could cook up.

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Man Sells Kidney To Buy A Salad, The Secret Health Fad

Flying an Airbus A320 from Maryland to Florida is a quick two-hour trip that passengers mostly enjoy, especially when they’re going on vacation. But for Gus, it was another inspiration to find a health fad that this time might actually work.

He was in the aisle seat feeling like he was stuffed in a sardine can. One lady smacked him in the face with her purse as she made it up the aisle while the drinks cart busted him in the knee on its way down. The flight attendant didn’t realize what she was stuck on and kept ramming it to get it to go until he caught her attention and got her to back up so that he could move his leg out of her way.

He made the mistake of ordering a drink, which went through his system like a flood that had just busted through a dam. He quickly shuffled his way back to the bathroom and in there, had the time of his life trying to find enough room to empty his screaming bladder. Standing in front of the toilet, he kept hitting the walls with his arms. So, he turned sideways to unzip and then forward again to do his bidding.

Every move he made, he hit something. He banged his head when he tried to look down at his zipper. His arms were bouncing off of everything. Something stuck in his back, which turned out to be an ashtray, a relic of the past that had no business being where it was in the first place. There is a law against smoking on planes and keeping ashtrays in the bathrooms with “No Smoking” signs makes absolutely no sense.

But getting back out presented the biggest challenge because the door opened inward, meaning he had to find enough room in there to get out of the door’s way. The maneuvers he had to make were ingenious and could easily be turned into a video game for skinny people who love making fun of the pudgy thickums. That was it! That was all he needed to begin to get inspired and start thinking about losing weight.

The next wave of motivation came in the form of Adele and Rebel Wilson. It was like they were on something amazing. What was their health fad secret?

The thought had occurred to Gus that Chris Pratt and Jonah Hill also made great inspirations for weight loss. But for some reason, it was Adele and Rebel who got him off the couch. He was finally done thinking about it. He was to the point where he was almost about ready to actually start doing something.

The internet has a plethora of information about losing weight but no magic potion. Yes, there are plenty of health fad promises from supplements to shakes but there is no wicked pill that simply dissolves fat while you sleep. Trust Gus on that. He tried several that came with a guarantee, empty promises that just take money from desperate people who took their time gaining weight for years and now want it gone in the next five seconds.

What Gus did find were diets and exercises, all the things he loathed to hear. That meant sacrifice and work. Worst health fad ever! Eating a salad was just plain torture! And walking? Like, did they mean every day?

But he finally gave in to the overwhelming amount of information from credible sources that kept saying over and over that a proper diet with exercise is the only true health fad that works. Salads. Fruit salads. Seafood salads. Salad salads. No pizza. No cookies. No chips. No SODA?

Has the world gone mad? How do people live like this?

When he picked himself up off the floor from throwing an all-out temper tantrum, he wiped the tears from his eyes and headed to the market. That’s where he got the biggest shock of his life. Going through the snack aisle and the frozen food section that had been his regular weekly stops where his plaque was hung proudly on the ice cream door, he found the salads in a part of the market he had never been before.

He looked at the prices with a very confused look on his face. He could buy three cheeseburgers from a fast food joint for less than the three-ounce bowl of rabbit food staring him in the face. He quickly started to calculate how much it would cost to buy a salad a day. Then, with his fingers, he deducted that from how much money he had and that’s when reality struck him. He couldn’t afford to lose weight.

What kind of scam is this? The whole world wants him to be skinny. The whole world is made for skinny people. One flight on an airplane makes that point abundantly clear.

Eight hotdogs and eight buns cost less than three dollars. One bowl of grass with a leaf of lettuce and a touch of carrot shavings costs enough to put a kid through college. That’s when he started to negotiate with himself. If he cut down on how many cheeseburgers he ate during a meal and exercised twice as much, that might get him to his weight goal.

“Psst,” Gus heard out of the corner of his ear. “Psst,” he heard again.

He turned to look and he saw the butcher gesturing to him. Gus looked around to make sure, then walked over to see what it was about. The butcher took his time to make sure Gus was properly motivated and made him promise to keep a secret.

With sweat dripping from his cheeks, Gus shook his head and that’s when the butcher informed him that there was an underground network of anonymous sellers and buyers who were in the live organ game. If Gus was in the market, the butcher could give him a nice wad of cash for one of his kidneys.

“How much,” Gus asked.

“Enough,” the butcher replied.

“Would I be able to afford a salad,” Gus asked.

“My friend, you’ll be able to buy a couple of them,” the butcher answered.

Gus thought for a moment and then agreed. The butcher wasted no time taking him back to the walk-in refrigerator and getting down to business. The process took about fifteen minutes and Gus walked out of the grocery store a half a pound lighter.

When the butcher pointed out to Gus that removing the kidney immediately took him down half a pound, he realized that he had done enough for the day. That was the fastest he had ever lost weight and there was no reason to push more. Plus, he had a huge wad of cash. It was a win-win situation.

Later that evening, as he sat in his recliner watching TV, he took a look at the incision on his side and smiled. That was one less thing for him to worry about. It was hard enough for him to keep all his organs working all day. Selling one for a good cause only made his body’s work that much easier.

Then, he reached over to his folding tray table and grabbed another cheeseburger from the pile. Inspiration was one thing but being smart was another. There was no way he was going to be able to eat salads for the rest of his life. He didn’t have enough kidneys.

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The Day I Met My Daughter

Marking papers from a stack of thirty students, I was biding my time until the teachers could leave school when a personal announcement came across the speaker on the wall. “Mr. Allen, are you there?” the voice from the office asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Your wife is going into labor,” the voice reported.

“Thank you,” I replied as I shoved the papers into my bag and walked out of the classroom, knowing that it would be fine if I left early. I did have a valid reason after all.

I was out of the building, across the parking lot, and into my car in no time flat. A few minutes later, I was at the hospital, walking around the halls trying to find my wife who had been pacing the floors with her mother for over an hour. My presence put a slight smile on her face but only for a moment because she wasn’t happy, in a happy kind of way.

We knew the birth of my daughter was coming soon. We just didn’t know which day exactly and the due date had already passed. So, my wife was very excited about meeting her daughter but the misery she was going through could easily be read on her face. I offered if there was anything I could do and the response was quite hysterical from a soon-to-be mother who wasn’t actually enjoying the moment.

“Can you have the baby for me? Can you take the pain away?” were the kinds of responses she gave to a very humbled man who felt helpless when all he wanted to do was help.

My daughter finally arrived at four in the morning when the rest of the world was asleep. I ran up and down the steps several times from the room to the desk for administrative purposes and to grab the new mother a soda that she so desperately needed. I sprained my ankle somehow during one of those trips but I didn’t feel it until the next day because all I cared about was the new person in my life, which I finally got to hold about fifteen minutes after she was born.

I didn’t get to hold her right away like they do in the movies. Nurses are busy with babies for a few minutes while dads are running around the hospital whichever way they’re told to go. No, it’s not at all like it is in the movies. But it’s so much better.

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The New Story Of The Godfather III We Missed Because…

There are some reviews for Francis Ford Coppola’s remake of The Godfather Part III, which means that a few fans actually saw it. The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone was Coppola’s gift to fans on its 30th Anniversary but most of us missed out and for a very good reason.

When the third installment of the legendary trilogy came out in 1990, it made over $6 million on opening weekend and went on to gross $136 million worldwide. As the 30th Anniversary approached, Francis Ford Coppola got a bright idea to redo the story and reviews say that it’s totally different, which is phenomenal because he didn’t go back and shoot more scenes with a much older Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, and his own daughter Sofia Coppola. Nope. He pulled the cut film off the editing room floor and pasted together an entirely different take on the story to give us a whole new movie. Now, how did we miss such a miraculous thing?

I tried calling my contact at Paramount to see how many viewers had actually watched the new version because I knew that news of it had somehow missed me. The people at Paramount Pictures itself gave me a very specific answer, which was they didn’t know. So, they forwarded me to Paramount Plus to ask them but I got my subscription department for some reason. The menu on the phone was limited and it wouldn’t give me access to Francis Ford Coppola so I decided to go on the Paramount Plus website to have a chat with a representative. All I wanted to know was a general answer. They didn’t have to give me an exact number, which they weren’t about to do anyway.

via Paramount Pictures

They apologized for not being able to commit to any specific answer, which only means one thing to me. The number is low. It has to be because when a film has good numbers, the production company will brag about them. If the numbers are low, it’s best not to give an answer. But I did find something.

Someone on Wikipedia had a few stats, “Upon the release of the recut version, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone…made $52,000 from 179 theaters. In total, the film made $95,000 domestically, and $71,000 in four international markets.” The credit for these stats was given to an article from IndieWire.

This information contributes greatly to that lingering question. Why did we miss it? Some people did get to see it, but those numbers say that it wasn’t viewed by many. How could that possibly be for such a legendary film on such a special occasion?

via Paramount Pictures

When you do the math, you discover that 30 years after 1990 was…2020! That’s right! It was released the same year we were dealing with Murder Hornets, the death of Eddie Van Halen, the West Coast caught on fire, and about a hundred other things. Not to mention, we had a PLAGUE!

News stories were teaching us how to wash our hands like we were five-year-olds. The world shut down. We were locked in our homes. And people kept buying up all the toilet paper. It was the year from hell!

Probably not the best time to release a new movie. How five people managed to learn about the new release is beyond me. But now that you know, you can catch it on Paramount Plus, and here’s something you can do if you’d like. Watch the 1990 version first to refresh your memory before watching the 2020 version. Critics say it’s an entirely different movie and I’m going to have fun finding out how.

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Rare Photos Of Hot Celebrities Leaked

In the mid-90s, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape was leaked and they didn’t really need it, but it gave them a lot of attention. Whether or not Kim Kardashian meant to do it, her leaked video actually put her on a whole new level of stardom. If it’s hot, it’s going to get the internet’s attention and sometimes it seems, that’s all the web wants.

But the trend is old now. We can move on. If people are trying to get famous, maybe they could try another way because hot photo leaks and sexy viral videos that weren’t “supposed” to go public, it’s all been done to death now. And it’s been done again. A new batch of photos have been leaked by hackers and they’re being spread across the internet so fast, celebrities didn’t get a chance to stop it.

Before enjoying the erotic photos with some videos in there as well, take a look at the history and how it got here…

The Hot Couple

The trendsetters who started it had to manage the scandal and actually, there wasn’t anything to manage. Tommy Lee had a reputation already and even as a fan of Pamela Anderson, it wasn’t as if no one had ever seen her nude before. She had done nude photoshoots for Playboy and other magazines throughout her career. Of course, a sex tape does take that to a whole new level. But remember, this video was supposed to be filmed by them and only for them.

The film somehow got leaked and that was before the internet got huge. It was in the timeframe where it could have been a digital file on a computer but it wasn’t. It was a physical tape that was stolen from the house and the fact that they were hot celebrities meant that video was worth some big money. So, it wasn’t a publicity stunt. No evidence points toward that. But it did get some publicity and eyes were watching.

Kim Kardashian Takes A Shot

After Kim Kardashian graduated high school, being a stylist and her famous last name gave her access to celebrities. Of course, she had known Paris Hilton since they were kids and she worked as a stylist for her as well at one point. But everyone knows how driven Kim is. She wasn’t going to stay a stylist to the stars forever. She wanted so much more for herself.

The story goes that she tried to keep the video from getting leaked. Her lawyer tried to stop it and who knows if that’s true. Who knows if any of it’s true because she says she has never alerted the paparazzi about who she was dating and where they would be to make sure convenient pictures were taken of her? The family is the master of getting attention and it’s hard to tell. But the video did make her famous and that was all she wanted. Everything after that is, as they say, history.

Paris Hilton Had One Too

But if you know the dates, Paris Hilton’s video was leaked first in 2003. Kim’s didn’t come out until another four years. Of course, Paris didn’t need a leaked video to make her famous. She was already known as a socialite and the heiress of the Hilton empire.

With just this history of the trend, it would appear Kim’s was possibly the only one back then that was intentional. Pam and Tommy didn’t have anything to gain from it. Paris Hilton didn’t either. But Kim watched her life go in places she wasn’t able to take it before and that has meant all the difference. Look it up anywhere and what you’ll find is that it was at that moment her life was changed.

If you’ve come to see the new batch leaked of hot celebrity photos and videos, the intimate and steamy stuff they tried to keep private, you can enjoy them here:

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The Waffle House Experience Is As American As…

In my early days of travel after only having my license for a few years, I loved getting in the car in the evenings and driving all night in the peace and solitude of the open road. The highways were empty and the Waffle House was open at all hours. That was an American experience I would have recommended to anyone who liked a little adventure with their trips.

Life got in the way and my travels up and down the highways became a thing of my past for a few years. When I picked it back up after my divorce and my daughter was fully grown, I felt a bit nostalgic and stopped into a Waffle House on a trip from Maryland to Florida. It was on the outskirts of Tampa and it was early in the morning, about the time the dancers were off work and hungry. They took up about three tables and they were just as flirty while eating pancakes as they were in the club hustling drinks.

You never know what you’re going to get when you walk into a Waffle House. What’s interesting is that it’s pretty much the same whether it’s 4 am or 2 pm. It can be peaceful one moment and all hell can break out the next. The thing is that the great old House of Waffles is such a part of America, there’s not a thing about it that can’t be compared to us.

It can be a peaceful place to eat but it can also be just like the Wild Wild West where anything goes. Everyone’s just trying to get through life as best they can and the drama doesn’t make anything any better but it gives people with cellphones and social media platforms something to talk about. If that hasn’t become what America is, I don’t know what else comes close.

The Waffle House Proposal

See Waffle House isn’t just about the fighting. There’s romance too! pic.twitter.com/V5M4F4UCAz

— charmane harbert (@callme_Chari) March 28, 2024

What a way to win her over! You can tell they’re perfect for each other. He bought her a waffle and put a ring on it. In return, she got him beef jerky.

They have couple goals and they just leveled up. If you’re going to take anything away from this, it’s how relationships should work. Get to know each other so well that you can make sure you’re on the same page. That way when you propose, it’s as easy as this. Nothing has to feel forced when you find the right one.

Protest And Unrest

Waffle house shut down in Atlanta. They’re on strike because they get your order right every time at two in the morning. pic.twitter.com/rVk27vwTYU

— Florida Savage (@FloridaShaw09) March 29, 2024

Not everything is peaches and cream though in the Waffle House multiverse. There are customers and then there are employees. The employees have several jobs that include cooking and serving, but also sometimes bouncing, therapy, nursing, refereeing, and law enforcement.

It’s a $4 billion industry and for what they have to put up with, those cooks and servers don’t deserve minimum wage. They are the backbone of Americana who make the WH everything that it is and that it stands for. They deserve to be paid for all that they do, which on many occasions isn’t on the menu.

Warning: Slight Chance Of Nudity

When is Waffle House not on a thousand ? pic.twitter.com/O9sZTNfo9m

— Stretchmi Assahpart (lowkey a fight page) (@sho_shokabreezy) March 26, 2024

When you attend a Waffle House dinner, don’t be surprised if you get a show with it. I can hardly make out what this fight is about but that’s half the fun. It could be about world-changing events like the cook accidentally putting American instead of Cheddar in an omelet. Or it could be the pettiest drama like some saucy comments made under their breath about who’s seeing who.

Either way, this World Star Entertainment was destined to go down. Of course, we got more than we bargained for when a pair of breasts showed up toward the end. But in her defense, you can’t worry about what’s flopping around when you have someone in a headlock with one hand and punching with the other.

Ok, I will only ask once about this request.
Why do some communities send me requests for "Waffle House"?

Please be sure to explain the basis for the request, including the original story, history and background.

I look forward to an explanation from someone who knows more. https://t.co/w8ozUnJ1mY

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2024

How is it possible that Katsuhiro Harada doesn’t understand the significant role a Waffle House could play in Tekken? The franchise should be in Grand Theft Auto and every rip-off of a game that’s trying to be real to the gamer. It’s an American experience that you take at your own risk when you enter those doors.

You can either walk away satisfied with your meal or limping with stitches. It really is the role of the dice. If Harada put it in the game, he just might sell a few more copies.

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