HOW TO "FIX" DANCING WITH THE STARS

The show is terrific, don't get me wrong. But a few things need to be fixed.

First of all, most of the male professionals look like Louis Van Amstel clones! Since they all train at his center, that's to be expected, but perhaps some variety would be helpful. The only two I don't see as being as studied and predictable as the rest are Derek Hough and Mark Ballas. Maybe DWTS needs to look outside the current gene pool for its male professionals.

I love the current crop of judges, but they need to be augmented a bit. Paula Abdul would be a good judge, so would Jennifer Lopez. Why not ask the incredible Rita Moreno to sit in as a guest judge. She is after all, one kick-ass dancer. How about Chita Rivera? Here's a thought - Catherine Zeta-Jones as a judge? Talk about a ratings booster. I'm just sick of Bruno's theatricality at the judging table, Len's grump and Carrie Ann's emotionalism.

Quit fiddling with the format. Tonight's final dance-off is redundant and robs the fans of the right to have their final input.

Finally - young performers like Zendaya do not belong on the show. They don't have the maturity to express themselves and end up being a distraction. Yes, she is somewhat talented and yes, she can dance fairly well, but does she move you like an Ali Raisman's hard-fought journey or the unexpectedly exquisite Kellie Pickler? I don't see it.

And a nitpick - professional females, if you're going to be a bleached blonde, do your damned roots! Show some respect for the audience and your craft. I'm talking to you Peta and Kym.

WHY DOES DAVID LETTERMAN STILL HAVE A SHOW?

The only thing I can figure is that the New York "elites" (those who do not know or care that this country exists West of the Hudson River) are somehow protecting him, but that suggests that the protectors of this small-minded, nasty little man have a very peculiar version of a sense of humor!

David Letterman is not funny.

David Letterman is not SMART.

David Letterman confuses personal attacks and repetitive nonsense as somehow equating with actual humor.

David Letterman is an ASS!

The sooner this insensitive boorish twit is banished from the airwaves, the better.

David Letterman must go, along with his sycophantic band leader and his Top-10 Unfunny Lists!

BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING

A beautiful, cool Spring day became a nightmare yesterday. Endless confusion, massive and gruesome injuries caused by the actions of some completely amoral and despicable person or persons. It is madness, it is disgusting and it is - ultimately - stupid. Granted, we no longer are governed by the remarkable George W. Bush (congratulations on being a new grandpa, Sir), but still, it is never wise to infuriate the American people. We tend to be pretty even tempered folk, until you do something this horrid. Of course, the weinie in the White House is running true to form.

President Barack Obama was careful not to use the words "terror" or "terrorism" as he spoke at the White House Monday after the deadly bombings, but an administration official said the bombings were being treated as an act of terrorism.

So his PEOPLE can describe the atrocity with accuracy but he daren't speak its name? What a waste of time this man in the White House truly is.

Meanwhile, the expected, repetitive, all-too-frequently inaccurate reportage continued on every network except the Food Network and HGTV!

And nobody interview anyone who was saying what we all should be thinking and doing - praying for the victims and the souls of the three dead, one of which was an 8-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him! There's a name for people who make war on those weaker than themselves - sniveling cowards! Just saying.

UPDATE: So they caught the bastards (one of whom will NEVER be able to harm us again) and the father (surprise, surprise) in Russia is claiming they were "set up" which is total horseshit. So what I want to know is what did that pissant in the White House know and when did he know it?

HAPPY EASTER

And God bless us all!

God sent his only Son to die for our sins and we celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday. To those secularists who see themselves as the center of the Universe, I will be praying for YOU on Easter morning, along with all the billions of people who do believe in God and do celebrate his miraculous life, death and resurrection.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

H/T Lucianne.com

POPE FRANCIS I

It remains to be seen whether this new Pope is beneficial for the Church, although I tend not to doubt the Holy Spirit's influence on the Conclave.

Those who are already "piling on" this new Pope are idiots. Since the Catholic Church has, throughout its history, frowned on sex outside of marriage, their disapproval of gays is hardly surprising. And those who are expecting changes in orthodoxy are nuts. The Church over its 2,000 year history has remained pretty consistent and I see no reason to expect anything other than mild adjustments in tradition.

As to the fact that this Pope eschews lavish trappings, that is a positive and the fact that he is a Jesuit only is slightly troubling. Jesuits have been known in the past to be fairly radical, but Pope Francis doesn't strike me as that type, and the man's smile is something that warms the heart!

THE BACHELOR

The season of this television show has just concluded. It is also the first season of this show that I actually watched - start to finish - due to the insistence of my roommate who is a big fan.

I can now, based on my own observations, make the following assessment. It's a very skeevy show and I won't watch it again - not even out of sheer boredom. The idea of 26 women pursuing one fairly attractive young man who doesn't seem to have a job - other than taking off his shirt is ludicrous to me. Granted there is a shortage of men in many cities but still - this way, really?

MISCELLANEOUS RANTS

The president of the United States has canceled White House tours because of sequestration. Really? You worthless s.o.b. why don't you cut back on the numerous and costly vacations taken by you and your wife and use those funds to provide the additional security you've cut so that "We the People" whose house it actually IS can resume the tours? What a thin-skinned, petulant cretin someone else voted for for president - certainly I didn't vote for him. He's STILL campaigning, not governing!

I think that the President, Vice-President, each Cabinet secretary and each member of Congress should be subject to a 20% salary cut until the deficit is appreciably reduced.

Furthermore, "We the People" need to start scrutinizing all Federal programs to ascertain which ones WE think should be cut and then make our feelings known. And any non-cooperating member of Congress should be removed from office forthwith and someone who has our interests at heart should be elected to replace those removed.

On another note, when will the various pundits now spewing their "wisdom" on the subject of the Catholic Church be instructed to shut their ignorant pie-holes. The Catholic Church has survived 2,000 years without your self-perceived wisdom and we'll flourish an additional 2,000 years without your self-serving ignorance.

SEQUESTRATIAN?

The pampered spoiled brat who lives in the White House is whining on television about Republicans not being willing to accede to his demands on the budget. Well, you ignorant asshat - that's why they were elected to oppose your sorry self!

Meanwhile, you are spending $180,000 per hour flying around the country trying to get your mindless supporters to put pressure on Congress to do your bidding. Where is the logic in that? Why don't you stay home, listen (really LISTEN) to people smarter than you (practically everyone) who want you to stop raising taxes - a countraproductive activity - and start taking a serious look at the budget and behaving like a true administrator and do what is truly best for the country rather than what would further your leftwing, socialist agenda. Meeting with Republican leadership for SEVEN MINUTES is not negotiating. It's an insult and a sham!

Thank God for those who stand stubbornly athwart the idiocy you propose!

Here's a simple solution. All cuts will be tied to Presidential and Congressional salaries AND budgets, starting immediately. If government workers lose two days pay, then the president and all members of the House and Senate should lose two days pay. If the budget for the Armed Forces is cut 25% - then the budget for the White House should be cut 25%, starting with staffers. Travel budgets should be cut, Michelle Obama's numerous vacations should be severely curtailed and her travel expenses should be eliminated entirely, thereby relieving us of the necessity to see her ugly mug on every damned television show she can weasel her way onto!

Mr. Obama - you are not our Dictator, you are our EMPLOYEE and it's time you started acting like it! Long past time as a matter of fact.

WE ARE BEING INVADED!

By Australians and by Brits! Have you noticed lately how many people from England, Wales and Australia are performing in American films and television shows - almost always affecting an American accent?

I'm just curious - whatever happened to all those AMERICAN actors and actresses who are both talented and unemployed?

MICHELLE OBAMA - MEDIA GLUTTON

I'm sick of seeing our First Lady - elected to nothing, by nobody - popping up every damnedwhere on network television shows - presenting Best Picture at the Oscars, doing cooking segments on Good Morning America - just generally participating in popular culture (?) venues as if she was some kind of rock star or media glutton. What is she doing? Why is she acting like she's running for office?

Perhaps she should concentrate on actually raising her kids, growing her freaking garden and generally keeping in the background as most other, more classy First Ladies have done!

Michelle - all you can accomplish by your antics is to make you even less likeable because essentially, my dear, you are NOT likeable woman and the more familiar we become with you, the less likely we are to like, approve of, or generally support anything you're doing!

85th ACADEMY AWARDS

I'm going to start out controversial here. The broadcast was, as always, entirely too self-indulgent. But despite some of Seth MacFarlane's few questionable jokes, I think he was a very enjoyable host for the evening. There were very few surprises, although I would enjoy one Oscar Broadcast without the treasonous witch Jane Fonda. Where she should be is in prison, not striding forth onto the Dolby Theater stage, dressed like a banana, and pretending to have some worth as a human being!

Michelle Obama's appearance was both unseemly and unnecessary! What is FLOTUS campaigning for? Why is it we have to look at that battered puglist's ugly mug more often than absolutely necesary? Go take another vacation you useless wench!

I can only hope that after the show the winsome Anne Hathaway went out and ate at least a sandwich! There IS such a thing as entirely too thin!

Is Kristen Stewart on drugs? If not, does she OWN a hairbrush. I get that she's awkward and shy. What I don't understand is - if she wants to be in this business - why doesn't she get some coaching and training on public appearances,

POPE RESIGNS!

As of February 28th, our beloved Pope Benedict will leave the Papacy, clearing the way for another Pope to be elected to fill the office.

He is citing weakening health, both physical and mental. Many are spinning counterclockwise, spewing forth ill-informed theories, while those of us who love His Holiness simply prepare to miss him.

The most loving thing a Pope can do for his people is to recognize his frail health and its impact on his governance of 1.2 billion Catholics and remove himself from office before he does any kind of damage that a successor might need to repair. He's a class act, our beloved Pontiff and now he can retire, at age 85, to quietly enjoy his Mozart and his cats.

I will miss him, as will many other faithful Catholics. Non-Catholic comments are not encouraged.

BREAD AND CIRCUSES?

1910–15; translation of Latin pānis et circēnsēs; from a remark by the Roman satirist Juvenal on the limited desires of the Roman populace.

Is this what we've come to?

We are more exercised by whether or not Beyonnce (a talented but limited performer) pre-recorded her version of the National Anthem or not than we are by anything those living jokes in the White House or in Congress are doing.

There was nearly as much press over Michelle Obama's bangs than there was over the actual words of her spouse which sounded to me like a further slide into socialism was being engineered by his administration.

We get the kind of government we deserve - so if we don't start paying close attention, we ARE screwed!

EASIEST COCKTAIL SNACK EVER!

This recipe is from my late mother - Irene Savko Miller - and was always a huge hit with people.

Buy one or more pounds of either hot or mild Italian sausage. Allow to come to room temperature (for food safety reasons, do not let it sit out too long), form into small balls and brown in skillet until browned on all sides. Do not crowd the pan or the balls won't develop a nice brown crust. (A combination of hot and mild works very well too.)

PLEASE NOTE: They will not be cooked all the way through at this point!

Place browned sausage balls onto a cookie sheet and put into the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees to complete the cooking process.

Serve slightly warm with a container of toothpicks and a bowl of unsweetened applesauce onto which you have sprinkled a fairly good quantity of cinnamon hearts. The sausage balls may be dipped into the applesauce and then eaten. Yum.

People love these and they're an easy treat to serve at your next festive gathering.

HILLARY CLINTON'S HEALTH

Okay. It is a well known fact that I find Hillary Clinton to be a contemptible creature with very little to recommend her lack of character. That being said, what are you right-wing idiots thinking when you make the snarky and snide comments I have recently read? This is a fe4llow human being, folks! If we want the dialogue to become more civil, you don't start that by being nasty and contemptible - no matter what the other side says or does. And I admit, I have indulged in some of that same poor behavior myself from time to time, particularly as it pertains to our "ceremonial" president (h/t Hill Buzz for that fine description) and the execrable John F. Kerry.

However, having suffered some of what Mrs. Clinton has been through of late and being pretty much in her same age group - although older - I wish her only the best in her recovery from what has had to be a frightening health scare. I suffered a stroke about three years ago. It was extremely mild and left no lasting symptoms, although I subsequently had to undergo what I described as two "roto-rooter" operations to clear the carotid arteries on both sides of my neck. My surgeon was so deft that I have virtually no scar visible, despite the incision from just below each ear down nearly to my collarbone.

So I wish Mrs. Clinton a speedy and complete recovery. It's probably a good thing that you're no longer going to be under the pressures of the Department of State, despite my humongous reservations about your possible replacement.

It's 2013. If improvements are to be, they must start with ME!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And God help us, every one!

MERRY CHRISTMAS - AND GOD HELP US, EVERY ONE!

From Fredericksburg, Virginia to everyone reading this, Merry Christmas and God bless this beautiful land of ours which exists more truly in the country away from the two Coasts and which still, regardless of the lunacy in D.C., still holds onto its traditional values!

JOHN KERRY AS SECRETARY OF STATE - A VERY, VERY BAD IDEA!

John F. Kerry is a proven liar, having defamed dead American heroes in his testimony before the Congress after his moment of service in Vietnam and his three (undeserved and unearned) Purple Hearts.

And can we discuss his trip to Paris (uninvited and unsupervised by the State Department at the time) to "meet with the North Vietnamese" during the Treaty talks? If that isn't a violation of U.S. law then I don't know what is! Of course, James Earl Carter Jr. has been violating that self-same law for years. The two men are, of course, equally clueless and dangerous!

John F. Kerry is an entitled idiot who has made his way through life by wedding rich women and using their money to fund his lifestyle.

He is unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate, let alone the State Department. This nomination must be fought tooth and nail at any cost.

No way should this failed human being have any say over our nation's foreign policy

JOHN KERRY - REALLY?

One can only hope that the Swift Boat Veterans for truth are able to mobilize quickly (and I'm sure they can) to stop this atrocity from happening!

Only a borderline treasonous president would nominate a truly treasonous asshat for the SoS position! Hillary Clinton is bad enough - John Faux Kerry is infinitely worse! Write your Senator NOW!