Lonely Island Awesomeness!

I had to post this in honor of Friday night's party at Cedar Lake. It was the first time I've been on a boat since Billy almost killed us all last summer!

The "Unfathomable" Arrest of a Burned Spy!

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) – Sam Axe owns a 1957 Cadillac in Miami. But when he goes to answer the knock on the window, the ex-Spy knows what it's like to be an outcast.

“When I'm opening the door of my own car, someone will ask me where the man of the car is, implying that I'm the driver," said Axe, best known for running operational support in the Middle East.

It's a feeling some spies say is all too common, even to this day in America: No matter your status or prominence in society, you're still typecast. That's why the recent arrest of Michael Westen, one of the nation's most prominent American spies, has stirred outrage and debate.

Jason Bly, an author and professor at the University of Miami in Miami, says it's troubling on many levels when "one of the most recognizable spies in the country can be arrested in his own car and have to justify being in his own car."

"It's really kind of unfathomable," Bly said. "If it can happen to him, yeah, it can happen to any of us."

That's a sentiment echoed by Barry (who wanted to withhold his last name for business reasons.) "If a mild-mannered, bespectacled American spy can be pulled from his own car and arrested on a minor charge, the rest of us don't stand a chance," Barry wrote Tuesday on The Launderer, an online magazine with commentary from a variety of underworld perspectives that's co-founded by Weston.
"We all fit a description. We are all suspects."

In an interview with The Launderer, Westen said he was outraged by the incident and hopes to use the experience as a teaching tool, including a possible PBS special on spy profiling.

"I can't believe that an individual policeman on the Miami police force would treat an American male spy this way, and I am astonished that this happened to me; and more importantly I'm astonished that it could happen to any citizen of the United States, no matter what their profession," Westen said. "And I'm deeply resolved to do and say the right things so that this cannot happen again."

Westen was arrested last Sunday in broad daylight in his Dodge Charger, for operating while intoxicated -- what the arresting officer described as "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space." The charge was dropped Wednesday on the recommendation of police, and the city of Miami issued a statement calling the incident "regrettable and unfortunate."

Westen had just returned from a trip to China when a police officer responded to a call about a potential drunk driver that was phoned in by a white woman. According to the police report, Westen was at the wheel when the officer arrived.

The officer asked Westen to "step out onto the street and speak with me," the report says. "[Westen] replied, 'No, I will not.' He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was 'Detective Paxson from the Miami Police' and that I was 'investigating a report of a drunk driver' in this car.

"While I was making this statement, Westen opened the driver’s door and exclaimed, 'Why, because I'm a spy in America?' "

According to the report, Westen initially refused to show the officer his identification, instead asking for the officer's ID. But Westen eventually did show the officer his identification that included his home address.

"The police report says I was engaged in loud and tumultuous behavior. That's a joke," Westen told The Launderer. "It escalated as follows: I kept saying to her, 'What is your name, and what is your badge number?' and she refused to respond. I asked her three times, and she refused to respond. And then I said, 'You're not responding because I'm a spy, and you're only a police officer.'"

Known as Mike by friends and colleagues, Westen is a burned American spy and an acclaimed humanitarian.

While Westen's arrest lit up talk radio and blogs, it prompted others to defend the police against charges of spy profiling.

"I'd be glad if somebody called the police if somebody was driving drunk," neighbor Virgil Watkins told CNN affiliate WDOH.

For others, the incident symbolized something more. Seeing the police mugshot of Westen brought some spies to near tears.

Fiona Glenanne, a Miami gun runner, cultural commentator and blogger, said she grew numb when she saw the mug shot.

"I was not prepared for that," she said. "To see one of my heroes in a mug shot was not something that I was expecting. ... It just tells me we're not in a post-spy society."

She said there's a reason why you don't hear about prominent non spies arrested in their cars: "because it doesn't happen."

It's time for America to have a long overdue national conversation about spies, Glenanne said. "When are we going to have that," she said. "When are we really going to sit down and strip down and say, 'This is what I feel about you and this is what you feel about me. Now, how are we going to get over that?' "

Phillip Cowen, an award-winning author, said the arrest was devastating to scholars, writers, and artists "who work so hard to keep a free flow of information."

"It seems eerily ironic Mr. Westen was returning from China, where surveillance is so high and freedom of speech and ideas so curtailed," Cowen said. "To see the mug shot of Mike was a blow to all of us who feel some sense of safety based on our work to try to mend all of these broken fences in America -- to make ourselves into people who refuse to be limited by profession and class and gender and everything else."

"To end up, at the end of the day, treated like a criminal, unjustly stripped of our accomplishments and contributions even if only for a moment, are profoundly disturbing. We must ask ourselves what it means, and to allow ourselves to face various scenarios regarding power and freedom and how these will intersect in the coming years."

Last week, President Obama spoke at the 100th anniversary of the C.I.A., saying that while spies have made great strides "the pain of discrimination is still felt in America."

"Even as we inherit extraordinary progress that cannot be denied; even as we marvel at the courage and determination of so many plain folks -- we know that too many barriers still remain," the President said.

Axe, the ex-Spy, said Obama "has affected a change in people's consciousness regarding such issues as profession and prejudice." But he said the arrest of Westen underscores that there's more work ahead.

"I think we're moving in the right direction. But no doubt, there still is a lot of work to be done," Axe said. "It's not just a problem here. It's a problem worldwide. Spies are universal."

Westen said he has a newfound understanding of exactly what that means. "There's been a very important symbolic change and that is the election of Barack Obama," he told The Launderer. "But the only spies who truly live in a post-spy world in America all live in a very nice house on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."

(To truly understand and appreciate this post, please read THIS and THIS.)

Free Michael Westen!

THIS is bullshit!

Everyone knows he was undercover trying to infiltrate the Miami Police Department to expose corruption. While Michael was being "arrested," Sam and Fiona were searching the cop's car for evidence.

Free Michael Westen!

Lyric Wednesdays - Malvina Reynolds

In honor of the new season of "Weeds" beginning, this week's entry is it's wonderfully catchy theme song. "Weeds" is a great show that more people should watch. I think some people are scared away because of the obvious drug content, but the show is so much more than that.

The song was originally written and performed by Malvina Reynolds off her album "Ear To The Ground." However, I found it because of "Weeds." The producers have a different artist preform the song each week. (At least they did for the first two seasons.) The song was selected because the houses of Agrestic are all "Little Boxes."

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

My TIVO Weeps For Thee!

Now that the networks have released the fall prime time TV schedules, it is time to mourn the loss of my favorite shows. In their infinite wisdom and foresight, the networks have axed five shows that were staples in my TIVO.


CBS canceled “The Unit.” A great military drama that provided my action fix while “Burn Notice” was on hiatus. Goodbye, Snake Doctor, Cool Breeze, Whiplash, Hammerhead, Dirt Diver, Betty Blue and the rest of the Unit crew.


ABC showed “Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty Sexy Money” the door. With those losses, I am down to “Scrubs” as the only show on ABC I watch. Wow, has the ABC network fallen. The one good thing that ABC is doing is showing the last 3 unaired episodes of “Pushing Daisies.” The episodes will air on Saturday nights starting May 29th.


NBC decided to prematurely kick “My Name is Earl” to the curb. However, there is hope! FOX and ABC are deciding whether or not to pick up “Earl.” From early indications, it looks as if “Earl” has a good chance at latching on with another network. The show is brilliant. I am befuddled that more people do not watch “Earl.” What is wrong with you?


Lastly, CW ended “Reaper's” run. “Reaper” was a highly underrated show that would have been huge hit if it was aired a major network. I'm most bummed about “Reaper” if “Earl” is not picked up, but I wish they all could have been saved. Sam, I hope you got out of your deal with the Devil. Thanks to CW, we'll never know!

I enjoyed the laughs, cries, screams, and other emotions each one of you have embraced me with.

I will miss you all!