Tax Day Tea Party

OK, I'm going to keep this real simple. The police should go around to the tea parties. Anyone found with a voter registration card should be arrested. Anyone who accepts medicare or medicaid should be arrested. Anyone who has ever benefited from the police department, fire department, or gotten mail through a post office should be arrested. On what charge you ask? High treason.

The Boston Tea Party was a just protest because people were taxed but had no say so in the government. And the money was used to support the British empire around the globe. This is a modern day conservative sham of a protest. Its a protest against the financial support of a just and representative government. Not wanting to pay for the services and proctection from which you benefit is at the very best tax evasion, and at worst treason. Book'em Dano.

Welcome Bo...Next.

All the world can breath a collective sigh of relief. No the economy is not rebounding. Bin Laden has not been brought to justice. The Mexican government has not defeated the the drug cartels. North Korea didn't trash its missile codes. Iran still has nukes. Hezbollah still vows to destroy Israel. The polar caps are still melting at an alarming rate. But oh thank God the Obamas have a new puppy. A Portuguese water dog to be exact. Never seen one before? Picture a standard poodle on steroids and you've got it.

I know good news is a rare commodity these days and we should rejoice when we find it. But it just seems a little weird that this has been headline news since the story was leaked Saturday night (three days ago). Let's run along now to the next big thing, shall we?

Out of Africa

If you are not watching The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on HBO Sunday nights at 8pm (with re-airs throughout the week) then you are missing it. By "it" I mean the freshest, smartest and funniest new show on cable. Grammy award winner Jill Scott is perfectly cast as Mma Precious Ramotsue, the first lady detective in Bostwana. The accent, by the way, is spot on. Tony award winner and Florida A&M University graduate Anika Noni Rose, steals every scene "97%".

The show is not nearly as racy as other HBO shows tend to be. Its not even racy by FX standards. In fact, the word wholesome springs to mind. All the family-friendly actions and interactions of the characters runs smoothly together, all well lubricated by copious amounts of red bush tea.

It's also good to see people in Africa living lives of relative comfort and peace. Colonization, famine, war, and government corruption are mercifully not features of the story.

Hip Hop Boy Wonder

T.I is a genius. His latest album, Papertrail , beyond being a financial success is also the center piece of a hip hop revival. The album is a manifestation of what hip hop once was. It hearkens back to the day when poet philosophers linked words together in such a way that it inspired kids in the late 80's to gather around their televisions like campfires, to watch Yo MTV Raps.

While other artists are having trouble selling albums at all in this age of the internet, Papertrail is going to be re-released this year. During the king's unfortunate incarceration (366 days) the new release will feature five new singles. Real talk no shit, T.I.'s going to ball every chance he gets.

Seersucka!

It's Holy Week, Passover, Good Friday, Easter and Spring. All kinds of things signal this season of rebirth and resurrection. Easter eggs, bunnies, chicks, straw hats, whites shoes and my favorite, the seersucker suit.

After a winter of serious heavy wool the light fun cotton suits are a welcome change. It's useful for lots of occasions. They can be formal but still fun. Dressed up with a tie it looks respectable at a wedding. Without a tie you're right at home at a barbecue. It's stylish without being pretentious. The seersucker suit is one of those objet d'arts that are simultaneously functional and fashionable... and I like 'em.

It's Good to be King

I know I'm two years late with this post but its still worth mentioning that this is not your father's King Henry VIII. The third season of The Tudors just started on Showtime Sunday nights 9:00 pm EST. And boy what a thrill ride.

It is loosely, and I mean LOOSELY, based on the life and times of England's petulant and progressive king, Henry Tudor. Historically the show is riddled with inaccuracies but it is so much fun to watch that you're forced to forgive the blurring of fact and fiction, provided you even notice it all. It is well written, well cast and the costume and scene budgets must be inexhaustible. The drama is high, with plot twists that are not as predictable as one might expect from a 500 year old story. The talented actors give emotional performances with rapid fire speech. Every scene is full of strikingly beautiful women with ample heaving bosoms and men exuding so much virile masculinity, that you forget completely that they're wearing tights.

Season four has been green lit. I don't know how long this show can continue without a more portly portrayal of the 15th century monarch. But I hope the creators can figure out how to keep it going. After all they still have four more wives to go.

Dead Men Don't Bite

This post is going to sound uncharacteristically,but decidely hawkish. I by nature am a dove. But the Somali pirates went too far when they boarded a U.S. ship and took the captain hostage. Maybe I've seen too many Errol Flynn movies. But I say the U.S. Navy snipers should shoot the pirates, cut their heads off and post them on pikes all along the Somali coastline. A deterrent to those who aspire to one day hijack ships (even commercial ones) from the most powerful nation on Earth.

Long ago Roman citizens could travel the world without fear of molestation. The statement "I am a citizen of Rome" use to mean that the speaker would be treated justly or the molester would suffer the full wrath of the empire. So let it be today. Let those pirates, and the world, know that those who sail under the stars and stripes will do so free from the fear of tyranny of bloody cut throats. Or else retribution will be terrible.