Daily Archives: December 22, 2009

by | December 22, 2009

Alabama Democrat Parker Griffith defects to the GOP Over Obama’s Policy

Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith defects to GOPFreshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith announced Tuesday he is switching to the GOP, another blow to Democrats facing a potentially tough midterm election. Griffith spoke to reporters at his home in northern Alabama, a region that relies heavily on defense and aerospace jobs.

“I believe our nation is at a crossroads and I can no longer align myself with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy, and drives us further and further into debt,” Griffith said as his wife Virginia stood by his side.

The 67-year-old radiation oncologist was narrowly elected last year in a district that includes Huntsville and Decatur. President Barack Obama lost badly there to Republican John McCain.

Griffith also slammed the health care overhaul making its way through Congress. He was one of 39 House Democrats to vote against a version of the bill that narrowly passed.

“I want to make it perfectly clear that this bill is bad for our doctors,” he said Tuesday. “It’s bad for our patients. It’s bad for the young men and women who are considering going into the health care field.”

He said after the press conference that his defection had nothing to do with concerns about whether he could win re-election as a Democrat. He also said he had not talked to any fellow Democrats about switching parties along with him.

“If they do, I hope it’s on conviction and not politics,” he said.

Griffith had accumulated one of the most conservative voting records of any House Democrat. He was one of seven Democrats to oppose Obama’s economic stimulus measure early this year and also voted against an anti-global warming bill pushed strongly by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Democrats will hold 257 House seats to the GOP’s 178 after Griffith’s switch.

Several veteran House moderates have announced their retirements next year, giving Republicans hopes of picking up a significant number of seats in the November elections.

Jim Spearman, executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, said the switch “shouldn’t come as a surprise” with the way Griffith voted.

“We will be working strongly to put a Democrat in there,” Spearman said.

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by | December 22, 2009

Brittany Murphy: ‘Drugs killed her’ says Dr. Cyril Wecht

Brittany Murphy dead dies drugs Celebrities are beginning to speak out about the untimely death of Actress Brittany Murphy.   Many have said that she had not really been acting much,  and some say that she appeared emaciated in recent months.

Authorities said Monday it appeared actress Brittany Murphy died of natural causes after becoming ill with flu like symptoms in the days before she collapsed in the bathroom of her Hollywood Hills home.

Celebrity Web site TMZ is reporting there were “large amounts of prescription medications” on the nightstand when paramedics arrived at her Hollywood home, and that Murphy was “complaining of shortness of breath and severe abdominal pain” in the week before she died.

“She always denied any relationship to drugs,” US Weekly Entertainment Director Dena Sansing told CBS News. “She said she had never tried it. She said the strongest thing was Sudafed — it wasn’t her thing.”

But at least one leading pathologist tells “The Early Show” he’d bet a lethal combination of prescription drugs was involved.

“It’s possible, certainly” (that Murphy died of natural causes), Dr. Cyril Wecht told “Early Show” co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Tuesday, “and usually, it will be some kind of a congenital heart condition. But in most of those cases, the patient will be aware that there is some heart problem.

“When you have a 32-year-old person dying suddenly, and especially a celebrity in Los Angeles, you can place your bet down that it’s going prove to be a case of acute combined drug toxicity. And I bet you that this young lady tragically died in the same way that Michael Jackson did, and Anna Nicole Smith, and her son, Daniel Smith, and Heath Ledger — a combination of drugs that had been prescribed for her, prescribed for her husband, for her mother, in some fictitious names, probably by doctors who are very, very quick to make available anything that celebrities want, sometimes using knowingly fictitious names.

“So, even though these drugs are, quote, legal, unquote, they are, many times, illegally obtained. And it’s a tragedy. And it’s being played out everywhere in America every day, and we only come to know about it when it involves celebrities.”

What leads Wecht to conclude drugs were involved here?

“I am aware of some of the drugs that were found. One of them was a drug that was involved with Michael Jackson, Adivan. One of them was a drug that was involved with Anna Nicole Smith, Klonopin. Two of the drugs are pain relievers, Hydrocodone, which we frequently see in these cases, and Vicoprofen, a form of Vicodin. So, I guarantee you that, if the pathologists at the Los Angeles coroner’s office had found something dramatic, like a heart attack, like a stroke, or like something of a definitive nature, would you have heard about it. The fact that they say that they’re going wait for toxicology tests and it will take a couple of months, you can be sure that this is going to prove to be a case of acute combined drug toxicity. A tragedy.”

Officially, Assistant Chief Los Angles County Coroner Ed Winter said to reporters that an autopsy had been conducted and officials were awaiting the results of toxicology and tissue testing before determining an official cause of death. It could take up to six weeks before a determination is made public.

Officials also interviewed Murphy’s personal physician and examined prescription drugs taken from her home. None of the medications was illegal, reports said.

Additional Coverage of Brittany Murphy’s Death

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Actress Brittany Murphy Dead at 32

Paramedics tried to revive Murphy early Sunday, but she was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The hospital said she died of cardiac arrest.

The autopsy found no signs of trauma to the body of the 32-year-old star of “Clueless” and “8 Mile.” Police say they don’t suspect foul play.

Winter said Murphy’s family reported she had been ill and that could have contributed to her death. He said he had no further details about the medication taken from the home Murphy shared with her screenwriter husband Simon Monjack.

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by | December 22, 2009

Fascist Obama predicts success on health care

Obama Fascist Obamacare cartoon funnyFor those of you that don’t know, Obama’s health care reform includes capping salaries for doctors, insurance company CEO’s, and everyone else in the medical industry. None of these people have taken a dime in government bailout money. The back room deals being brokered between democrat senators for the necessary votes to put Obama’s health care into law will cost the U.S. Taxpayers more than 13 billion dollars. The overall cost of Obama’s health care reform will be more than 3 trillion dollars over ten years according to the GAO. There is a provision in the bill that prevents the bill from being repealed. This means if and when it is passed, it can never be taken away. Public support for Obama’s health care reform has dwindled to less that 40 percent in some polls.

Look for massive taxes to be put on the fast food and snack industry after the fascist democrats ram this bill down America’s collective throat. All of the fat, lazy and stupid people that think this is a good idea should be prepared for legislation that dictates how fat, lazy and stupid you are allowed to be. Like the cigarette industry, these taxes are what the fascist democrats intend to use to pay for Obamacare. You don’t have to be a rocket surgeon to know who consumes the majority of fast food. It’s the fat, stupid and lazy of America. Just some food for thought for those of you too busy with yourselves to be involved with the political process. JD

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by | December 22, 2009

Arnold Stang dies in Boston, MA.

I know most people don’t know who Arnold Stang was. I know him mostly from old 50′s and 60′s TV shows and cartoons. He was on shows like I Love Lucy, Milton Berle Show and various TV shows. He was the voice of Nurtle the Turtle in Pinocchio in Outter Space. They actually made the cartoon character look like a nerd too. I just wanted to give Arnold Stang the recognition he deserves, because he contributed a lot to the industry and helped to make my life a little better. JD

Arnold Stang, an actor who appeared alongside Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra and was known for his nerdy looks and distinctive nasal voice, has died. He was 91.

Stang died Sunday of pneumonia at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts, said JoAnne Stang, his wife of 60 years.

She attributed her husband’s career longevity to his willingness to tackle any professional challenge.

“He was really unique, because he could perform in any role, comedy or drama, he just loved it all,” she said Tuesday. “He always thought of himself just as an actor, not any particular kind of actor, but just an actor who would play whatever he was asked to play.”

Despite often playing goofy characters, Stang was the consummate professional, preparing the same for his biggest roles and the smallest commercials.

“I remember how smart he was, and how hard-working, and how disciplined he was, no matter what the role,” his wife said.

The slight and diminutive Stang started his career on the radio as a teenager and never lost his love of the medium.

JoAnne Stang remembers her husband zipping across Manhattan in the 1940s and ’50s, from radio show to radio show, all live and challenging in their own way because all the acting is done through voice, with no facial expressions or body language, she said.

“That was his education,” she said.

He played alongside Berle on radio and television in the 1950s, starred as Sinatra’s sidekick in the 1955 movie “The Man with the Golden Arm,” and was a member of the ensemble comedic cast of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” in 1963.

The dramatic role alongside Sinatra was one of his favorites, his wife said.

He voiced cartoons, including the lead character in the 1960s cartoon “Top Cat,” and did dozens of commercials, perhaps most notably for the Chunky candy bar.

He appeared in movies alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Cosby and continued acting into his 80s, playing a role in the 1993 movie “Dennis the Menace.”

Stang invented and mischievously perpetuated a story that he was born and raised in the Boston suburb of Chelsea. But his wife said he was really raised in Brooklyn. He lived in the Boston suburb of Needham for the past decade.

In addition to his wife, Stang is survived by son David and daughter Deborah.

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